Trump posts AI images with George Washington amid tough questions
As his approval ratings fall and he faces scrutiny over conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, Trump has repeatedly posted AI-generated images of himself with George Washington on Truth Social. Observers say the posts reflect an effort to shape his historical legacy.
US President Donald Trump has spent recent weeks posting AI-generated images of himself alongside historical American figures, most notably George Washington, on his Truth Social platform. The posts have come as Trump faces difficult questions over his effort to end the war with Iran and reports of poor living conditions and low morale aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln following its record-breaking deployment. His approval ratings have also dropped to the lowest point of his second term.
Earlier this month, Trump posted an AI image showing himself and Washington standing together in an imagined, completed version of the White House ballroom, followed a minute later by three more similar images. The next day he posted an image of the two men sitting at a table holding quills over a map, and another showing them on horseback, with Washington on a white horse and Trump on a black one. On Sunday, he shared a video depicting Washington and Trump walking through the ballroom together, pointing at the ceiling as though inspecting the construction.
Angelo Carusone, president and CEO of the watchdog group Media Matters, said the posts appear tied to Trump's belief that he is on par with, or even superior to, Washington, and that AI allows him to project that self-image publicly. Asked by the Guardian whether Trump believes he actually met Washington, who died more than two centuries ago, the White House did not directly answer, instead describing Truth Social as Trump's authentic voice for communicating with the public.
Trump has repeatedly described the ballroom, still under construction, as a personal legacy project he returns to during difficult periods. He has also posted an AI image portraying himself in military uniform alongside World War II generals George Patton and Douglas MacArthur, depicted with six rows of medals on his chest — more than the two generals combined.
