On June 16, 2024, progressive podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen shared a photo of Donald Trump on Facebook. The image captured the former U.S. president walking on a red carpet atop an elevated stage, holding hands with his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. Cohen’s caption suggested Trump held his son’s hand because he required assistance exiting the stage. Cohen wrote,”Trump has to hold someone’s hand to guide him off stage. Cognitive decline?”
Claim
A photo depicts former U.S. President Donald Trump holding hands with Donald Trump Jr., purportedly because he required assistance leaving an elevated stage.
Some posts on X platform echoed similar claims, while others on Reddit and X were more ambiguous in their statements.
Fact
However, the picture did not depict Trump holding his son’s hand because he needed assistance leaving the stage. They briefly clasped hands for about a second as the former president continued walking.
Verification
A user on X also shared a video capturing the brief moment to clarify the truth. The user criticized Cohen with the remark, “‘No Lie Brian’ lying, as usual,” referencing Cohen’s podcast, “No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen.”
This misleading rumor is part of a broader pattern where users often jest about the ages of Trump, 78, and U.S. President Joe Biden, 81. As previously reported, once both secure their respective party nominations, they will be the two oldest presidential nominees representing major political parties.
On June 21, USA Today reported that the photo in question was taken during a campaign rally in Hialeah, Florida, on November 8, 2023. Photographer Octavio Jones was credited with capturing the image, according to Reuters.
According to AFP, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung dismissed any posts promoting the false narrative about the photo as “cheap fakes.” Earlier reporting from June 20 noted that Biden’s campaign also repeatedly used this term to describe misleading videos depicting him at various events.
MediaWise, an initiative by The Poynter Institute, defines “cheap fakes” as “photos or videos that have been manipulated using cheaper, more accessible video editing software.” MediaWise further explains, “Cheap fakes can edit out important context or reorder clips to alter the narrative and deceive viewers, influencing opinions.” These differ significantly from deepfakes, which involve advanced manipulation techniques such as altering lip movements and possibly replacing entire faces in videos.
