Altered photos of Biden, Trump with Xi spread online
- Published on May 19, 2026 at 22:53
- 3 min read
- By Bill MCCARTHY, AFP USA
On the heels of his meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing, US President Donald Trump shared an image on his Truth Social platform that contrasted their handshake with a depiction of Joe Biden turning his back on the Chinese leader in California years earlier. But the picture of the former president is altered, with no such moment captured on video -- and a similar image spreading online that depicts Trump bowing to Xi is likewise manipulated.
"What a Difference!" says text over the image Trump posted on May 16, 2026.
The post juxtaposes two images: a photo of Trump shaking Xi's hand May 14 as the two leaders kicked off a landmark summit, and a depiction of an apparently oblivious Biden facing away from Xi during their own meeting near San Francisco in 2023.
The side-by-side follows years of attacks from Trump on Biden's age and mental acuity. Trump shared the visual after a trip to China for talks, a temple tour and tea with his Chinese counterpart that included discussions ranging from trade to the war in the Middle East.
At the same time, another image purporting to show Trump bowing while greeting Xi rocketed across social media platforms, spreading widely in multiple languages.
"Look at this weak man humiliating the U.S. like no president before him has," said one such post on X.
But both images are doctored, a review of video footage from the two meetings revealed.
Reverse image searches also surfaced no reports from credible news organizations distributing either of the images, a further sign of their inauthenticity.
Biden
The image of Biden that Trump posted was previously fact-checked by AFP.
An AFP photo of the then-president's November 15, 2023 meeting with Xi near San Francisco, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders' week, showed Xi with the same facial expression and body positioning.
But in the original shot, Biden was facing the Chinese president, not misdirected.
The Biden White House's live stream on YouTube showed Biden greeting Xi as he stepped out of a vehicle, then shaking his hand before the two disappeared inside (archived here). Biden never turned and looked the other way.
Footage from AFP and other news outlets also showed no such confusion on Biden's part (archived here).
Trump
Similarly, the image portraying Trump acknowledging Xi with a bow appears to have been manipulated based on footage that China Central Television (CCTV) and the White House streamed live online (archived here and here).
The video did not show Trump bowing at any point -- and nor did footage AFP distributed of the scene from a different angle.
AFP identified visual irregularities in the altered image that suggest it may have been manipulated using artificial intelligence, such as the blending of the two leaders' hands, with Xi's fingers appearing meshed together. AI detection tools did not return conclusive results.
A subtle crease visible along the side pocket of Trump's suit jacket in authentic footage also does not appear in the doctored image.
AFP has debunked other misinformation about US politics here.
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