Did Trump post AI image of himself with Generals Patton and MacArthur?

In August 2026, a screenshot (archived) circulated online that purportedly showed a Truth Social post on U.S. President Donald Trump’s account featuring an image depicting him with World War II Generals George Patton and Douglas MacArthur.  

For example, the activist and TikTok news influencer Aaron Parnas shared a screenshot of Trump’s alleged post with the caption, “Trump accused of stolen valor.” The image shows the president wearing a military uniform with medals and honors that he has not earned.

Claims that Trump posted the image of himself, Patton and MacArthur, and that doing so amounted to stolen valor — meaning when people falsely claim respect for military accomplishments they did not achieve — also circulated on X (archived), Facebook (archived), Threads (archived), Bluesky (archived) and Reddit (archived). Snopes readers contacted us to ask whether Trump had really posted the image.

The claim was true. The AI-generated image of Trump standing between the two generals appeared on the president’s Truth Social account (archived) on Aug. 4, 2026.

Trump could not have taken an authentic photo with Patton and MacArthur because they died in 1945 and 1964, respectively. Trump was born in 1946 and the fake image depicted him as an older adult.

Snopes contacted the White House Press Office to ask about the post’s intended message but did not receive a response before publication. The post only included the text, “Patton, Trump, MacArthur” above the fake image.

It was unclear whether Trump or someone else created the fabricated image. We asked the White House for clarification and will update this report if we receive a response.

Scans by Google’s Gemini chatbot and OpenAI’s Verify tool suggested that someone had used OpenAI’s tools to create the fake image that appeared on Trump’s Truth Social profile.

Aside from the impossibility of Trump, Patton and MacArthur being photographed together, the fake image displayed other obvious signs of AI generation. 

For example, the smoke stacks behind the three men pointed in opposite directions. This suggests the wind was blowing consistently in two different directions at the same time.

The fake image also depicts Patton wearing a helmet without a chin strap. MacArthur’s uniform included what appeared to be upside-down Army Corporal’s insignia. In reality, MacArthur was a general.

Additionally, the image incorrectly showed Patton and MacArthur with two general’s stars. Patton was a four-star general and MacArthur was a five-star general. The fake image depicts Trump as a four-star general, like Patton. In reality, though Trump is commander in chief of the military as president, that title is civilian and does not grant the holder general’s stars.

(@realDonaldTrump, accessed via Truth Social)

Some posts claimed the image on Trump’s Truth Social profile was an example of stolen valor, when a person takes credit for military accomplishments or service that they did not achieve or carry out.

Patton and MacArthur served in both World Wars. Patton led American forces in the 1943 invasion of Sicily that paved the way for the removal of Italy from World War II. MacArthur led American forces to reclaim the Philippines in 1944 after Japanese forces invaded following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. In August 1945, MacArthur personally received the formal Japanese surrender from World War II.

Trump, meanwhile, has never served in the U.S. military. Snopes previously reported that he received four draft deferments during the Vietnam War era. In 2016, Trump’s presidential campaign released a statement that said he had received a medical deferment for “bone spurs on both heels of his feet” while studying at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Finance. 

For further reading, Snopes routinely fact-checks claims about Truth Social posts.