Photo of former President Donald Trump after an assassination attempt was generated by artificial intelligence.

A photo of former President Donald Trump, bloodied and raising a fist in the air after a July 13 assassination attempt, appeared widely on magazine and newspaper covers, online and on social media. 

The image was taken by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci, who captured many images of Trump as he was hustled away in a scrum of Secret Service agents at the rally that day in Butler, Pennsylvania. 

But recent social media posts claim the image is fake, generated by artificial intelligence. 

“He has six fingers,” one Aug. 23 X post said. “This is clearly AI generated.”

Another X post made hours earlier said something similar — but it quickly became clear in the post’s replies that it was intended to troll Trump supporters. 

Vucci’s image was authentic and the moment was widely observed. But these posts claiming it wasn’t a real photo include an altered version of the real image as proof. 

In the altered image, Trump appears to have six fingers. AI has gotten better at drawing hands but misshapen hands with unusual numbers of digits can still be a clue that an image is fabricated.

In a video posted on The Associated Press’ website, Vucci talked about his experience photographing the rally from his perch in front of the stage. Photos from other photographers immediately after the assassination attempt also show Trump with five fingers. 

We rate claims that seek to discredit the authenticity of Vucci’s image as being AI-generated  False.