The White House promoted “Trump TV” using an AI-altered photo of airline passengers seemingly watching the president’s new streaming channel. The image, however, originated in February 2023 and depicted travelers viewing the NFL Super Bowl, with one passenger watching the film “Hitch.” The White House modified the photograph with AI to create the false impression that the cabin was tuned to Trump TV and did not disclose the alteration. Vedika Bahl reports for Truth or Fake.
Shared across the White House’s X, Facebook, and Instagram accounts, the image shows a packed plane cabin with passengers appeared to be watching the president’s channel on seat-back screens.
“It’s what everybody is watching,” the White House wrote, framing the promotion around a “HUGE week” of administration events and directing followers to Trump TV.
The photograph is not an authentic depiction of passengers watching the White House stream.
Analysis using OpenAI’s image-verification technology detected a SynthID watermark, indicating the image was generated or modified by AI. A reverse-image search also identified the original photograph, posted online three years earlier in February 2023.
The original image captured passengers watching Super Bowl LVII during a flight; one passenger appeared to be watching the 2005 romantic comedy “Hitch” starring Will Smith rather than the game, with the original poster making light of the situation.
The White House version retained the original cabin scene but changed the content on the passengers’ screens, creating the impression that everyone was watching Trump TV.
The White House did not disclose in its social media posts that the photograph—taken from a personal social media account—had been altered with AI and repurposed.
The image was used to promote Trump TV, which launched in September as a 24-hour YouTube stream featuring footage of Trump and White House events. The launch occurred amid the administration’s feud with major news organizations after Trump banned CNN, Politico, and MSNBC from the White House.
The controversy also emerged as President Donald Trump commented on artificial intelligence, dismissing concerns as a “hoax” and stating on Truth Social that “the only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a strong and smart president.”
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