Flame on! Trump shares photoshopped image of himself, Vance, RFK Jr, Musk and Gabbard as superheroes

Support truly
independent journalism

Support Now

Find out moreClose

Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.

Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.

Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.

Louise Thomas

Editor

If there’s one thing Donald Trump loves, it’s an AI-generated or photoshopped image that glorifies himself or praises his agenda.

Now, he has one showing off his ‘super’ powers and friends.

The former president added a new meme post to his Truth Social account Thursday evening – this time, a poorly photoshopped image of himself and his close allies as various DC Comics superheroes.

The image, which has the words “Trump 2024” on it, shows the former president’s head photoshopped onto Superman, his running mate JD Vance as Batman, his political ally Vivek Ramaswamy as The Flash, the owner of X Elon Musk as Cyborg and his presidential transition team, Robert F Kennedy Jr and Tulsi Gabbard, as Aquaman and Superwoman, respectively.

For those familiar with Trump’s Truth Social antics, it’s unsurprising.

Trump has a history of valuing Superman. A recreation of Trump as the Man of Steel appeared on his 50th birthday cake, he allegedly wanted to unveil a Superman shirt when returning to the White House from the hospital after his stint with Covid-19 and he sold NFT trading cards that depicted him as the superhero.

That’s in addition to the Save America political action committee creating Superman-Trump merchandise and another PAC creating a billboard that put Trump’s likeness on Superman.

But Superman aside, Trump also has a history of appealing to his base with visuals that romanticize him as a powerful figure.

Riding a lion, sitting with Jesus Christ in court, smiling with Black supporters, police arrest, praying – all of them are AI-generated images Trump has shared on his Truth Social account.

The former president has flooded his Truth Social page with them, and it has become a new go-to for provoking his opponents or playing to his base.

Recently, he shared an AI-generated image of Taylor Swift endorsing him – which did not happen – and declared “I accept,” making it appear as though it were real.

But Trump has also used AI-generated or photoshopped images to attack his rivals, most recently he posted photos of Kamala Harris overseeing a communist regime.

How AI plays a role in the 2024 presidential election may dictate how future presidential elections are handled. Some have argued that the technology should be regulated going forward to prevent voters from being duped or taken advantage of.