White House X account alters protester photo to add tears

AFP | London

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

The White House’s X account on Thursday posted a doctored photo of a protester arrested in Minnesota, showing her face contorted with tears without disclosing that the photorealistic image had been altered.

The edited photo of Nekima Levy Armstrong -- among three people arrested for allegedly disturbing a church service while protesting an immigration crackdown -- illustrates how President Donald Trump’s administration is increasingly using deepfakes or AI imagery to make political arguments.

On Thursday morning, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem posted an image on X showing Armstrong’s arrest, her face calm and expressionless.

About 30 minutes later, the White House posted the same image on the platform, but altered to show Armstrong sobbing, her mouth open, forehead wrinkled, and tears streaming down her face.

A caption superimposed on the image read “ARRESTED,” labeling Armstrong a “far-left agitator.”

The White House post offered no disclaimer that the image had been edited, and it was not immediately clear whether the alteration was done using an AI tool or other photo editing software.

When reached for comment, the White House redirected AFP to a post on X by White House Deputy Communications Director Kaelan Dorr, who tacitly acknowledged that the image had been modified.

“YET AGAIN to the people who feel the need to reflexively defend perpetrators of heinous crimes in our country I share with you this message,” Dorr wrote on X, resharing the White House post featuring Armstrong’s altered photo.

“Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

Underneath the White House post, several users questioned why the image had been altered to make Armstrong appear to be crying.