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Facebook posts
Facebook posts
stated on May 14, 2021 in Facebook posts:

An image shows the Blue Angels performing a maneuver called the “Hand of God.”

False

Image of Blue Angels performing the “Hand of God” is an illustration, not a photograph

If your time is short

• The image is a piece of digital art, not a photograph. ​

See the sources for this fact-check

The U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels, a flight demonstration squadron, can do backflips, 720-degree rolls, loops and other sensational aerobatic feats at speeds up to 1,000 mph

Social media users shared an image that purports to show the squadron performing a maneuver called the “Hand of God,” which depicts five planes curving in different directions to create a smoke trail resembling a giant hand. 

“The Blue Angels perform the ‘Hand of God,’” reads the caption above the image. 

The Blue Angels really do perform a maneuver called the “Hand of God,” which resembles the image. But the image being shared on social media is actually a piece of digital art, not a photograph.

It was created by Kiev-based artist Alexander Zienko, who posted it to the online art gallery Deviant Art on March 9, 2015. Zienko’s original artwork doesn’t reference the Blue Angels. 

The image shows a piece of digital art. It is not an actual image of the Blue Angels performing the hand of God maneuver, as the post says. We rate this post False. ​

Our Sources

Jacksonville.com, Guide to fast and furious aerobatics of the Blue Angels, Nov. 23, 2011

Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, Blue Angels and the Hand of God, Mar. 13, 2021

Image of Blue Angels performing the “Hand of God” is an illustration, not a photograph

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
stated on January 7, 2026 a press briefing

stated on January 14, 2026 a statement

Social Media
stated on February 14, 2026 social media posts



stated on January 20, 2026 an op-ed


Donald Trump
stated on February 3, 2026 remarks in the Oval Office


Social Media
stated on February 8, 2026 social media posts





Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
stated on stated on November 17, 2025 in remarks at George Washington University:

Donald Trump
stated on February 2, 2026 an interview with Dan Bongino