Trump’s Xi Arrival Photo Differs From Event Footage

A photo Donald Trump posted on Truth Social during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival in Washington differed from official images and video of the ceremony, but the available reporting does not establish who created or altered it, or how it was produced. The woman shown behind the two leaders was later identified as Monica Crowley, the White House chief of protocol, rather than aide Natalie Harp, whom social media users initially named without evidence. The image, captioned “Only Trump,” shows Trump saluting beside Xi near an Air China plane. Melania Trump and Xi’s wife, Peng Liyuan, attended the September 23 welcome ceremony at Joint Base Andrews but do not appear in Trump’s post. Crowley, who was present at the ceremony, can be seen in other footage and photographs. Visual differences between the post and other event images prompted online speculation that the picture had been edited or generated using artificial intelligence. Users pointed to the woman’s appearance and the absence of the two first ladies. However, those comparisons do not determine whether the image was altered, what tools may have been used, or who was responsible.