A photograph appearing to show President Donald Trump standing alongside a group of unidentified figures in elaborate red coats, gold trim and white wigs has gone viral after social media users claimed it had been briefly posted online and then quickly deleted — though the image has now been identified as an AI-generated hoax.
The image, which shows Trump outdoors facing three tall, platinum-blonde figures in red, theatrical-style uniforms resembling British redcoats, was shared widely on X, with one post from user @ImBreckWorsham racking up 14.5 million views. “Posted and then almost instantaneously removed. What the literal hell is this?” she wrote. Journalist Jon Stewart shared the same image with a similar caption: “Posted than immediately removed.”
According to Britannia Daily, when one user asked the AI chatbot Grok whether Trump had posted the image, it responded directly: “No, Trump did not post this. It’s an AI-generated hoax clip falsely labeled a ‘leaked photo.’ The theatrical red coats and long white-haired figures match no real event, White House record, or credible report. Classic viral engagement bait.”
Despite this, the image’s lack of a verified source allowed competing theories to flourish. One user claimed the figures were members of the King’s Guard of Norway, referencing a 2019 Guardian report on a 2018 visit by Norway’s King Harald V to the White House — though the King’s Guard’s actual uniform is black, not red, undermining the claim. Others speculated the image showed a historical re-enactment, a ceremonial gathering or a staged performance, while some argued visual inconsistencies pointed clearly to AI generation. One user cited the Hive AI Detector tool, which classified the image as non-AI-generated, though such detection tools are widely regarded as unreliable and incapable of definitively verifying an image’s provenance.
As the image spread, it quickly became fodder for memes, with users editing the scene to insert Stormtroopers, characters from Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings, One Piece, Disney films and even Teletubbies — a meme cycle that, according to IBTimes UK, kept the photograph circulating even as questions about its authenticity persisted.
A small number of users went further, suggesting the red-clad figures resembled so-called “Nordics,” a term used within UFO communities to describe alleged tall, fair-haired extraterrestrial beings, tying the image into broader online speculation about reported human-alien hybrid programmes. No evidence has linked the figures in the image to any such claims, and these theories remain entirely speculative.
The episode is the latest in a string of viral, AI-generated or manipulated images involving Trump that have circulated and then disappeared in recent months. In April, Trump posted — and later deleted — an AI-generated image on Truth Social depicting himself in a white robe and red sash, in a style resembling traditional depictions of Jesus Christ. When asked about it by reporters outside the Oval Office, Trump confirmed he had posted it but said he believed it depicted him “as a doctor,” telling reporters: “It was me. I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor, and it had to do with the Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support. Only the fake news could come up with that one.”
No official statement has been issued by the White House addressing the red-coat image or the claims surrounding its alleged removal, and at the time of writing its origins remain unverified.
