Claim:
An image shared on social media in September 2025 authentically showed U.S. President Donald Trump with a puffy face.
Rating:
Rating: Fake
In early September 2025, an image claiming to authentically show U.S. President Donald Trump with a puffy face circulated on social media, adding to unfounded rumors about his health in recent weeks.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office shared (archived) the purported image of Trump in an X post without a caption on Sept. 3:
The image also circulated elsewhere on X, Threads and Facebook, with some people who shared it speculating about the president’s health. For example, one X user who shared the image on Sept. 1 wrote: “Who else thinks that Donald Trump is, at the very least, seriously ill?”
A Snopes reader also wrote us looking to verify the image’s authenticity.
However, a reverse image search and analysis of the image revealed it was digitally altered. As a result, we’ve rated this image fake.
The original photo (archived) of Trump was taken by an Associated Press photographer in July 2022 (archived). It showed him playing in the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, N.J., according to the caption.
A side-by-side comparison of the altered image and original photo showed that Trump’s facial expression, red “Make America Great Again” hat and white collared shirt bearing the “Trump New York” logo were the same in both images.
However, in the authentic photo, Trump’s faced appeared much thinner and had fewer pronounced wrinkles than it did in the altered version. Trump’s face also appeared slimmer in other authentic photos taken on the same day.
Newsom’s office acknowledged that the image was edited in an emailed statement to Snopes.
“Of course it’s edited — that’s why it’s so funny. We posted it so the world can laugh at the bumbling, senile President of the United States,” Izzy Gordon, director of communications for Newsom’s office, said in response to our inquiry.
Newsom’s office has recently stepped up its efforts to mock Trump on social media, using memes and all-capital-letter posts mimicking Trump’s distinctive style on Truth Social.
For example, Newsom’s press office shared the following post (archived) on Sept. 2:
The altered image of Trump wasn’t new — it’s made the rounds on social media for more than three years. We found multiple versions posted on X (archived) and Reddit (archived) in 2022. In the version shared on Reddit, the text on Trump’s hat was also edited to read “Traitor.”
There was no evidence to support rumors in August and September 2025 that Trump’s health was failing, as some of the posts sharing the altered image suggested. Some people on social media falsely claimed Trump had died ahead of Labor Day weekend in the U.S. Prior to the holiday weekend, others also shared an unsubstantiated rumor that he had only six to eight months to live.
In July 2025, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Trump had chronic venous insufficiency, “a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70.”
Fake photos and videos of Trump often circulate on social media. For example, Snopes debunked a fake video claiming to show the president saying “trans people don’t exist.” We also investigated an image that purportedly showed Trump falling in August 2025.
Sources:
“Trump Says Saudi-Funded Tour Creates ‘Gold Rush’ for Players.” AP News, 29 July 2022, apnews.com/article/sports-donald-trump-henrik-stenson-ryder-cup-a25cf67b7d56b1db7cbb0eba428a25aa. Accessed 4 Sept. 2025.
Blood, Michael R. “Newsom’s Profile Soars with Trump Redistricting Fight.” AP News, 22 Aug. 2025, apnews.com/article/newsom-trump-california-house-texas-redistricting-e9546ed352cf5f3eb7739199ac8548c7. Accessed 4 Sept. 2025.
Christensen, Laerke. “Breaking down Rumor Trump Died over Labor Day Weekend.” Snopes, Snopes.com, 2 Sept. 2025, www.snopes.com/news/2025/09/02/trump-labor-day-weekend-death-rumor/. Accessed 4 Sept. 2025.
Taija PerryCook. “Breaking down Rumor Trump Only Has 6 to 8 Months to Live.” Snopes, Snopes.com, 27 Aug. 2025, www.snopes.com/news/2025/08/28/trump-6-to-8-months-to-live/. Accessed 4 Sept. 2025.