Truth Social
By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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President Donald Trump has posted what appears to be a doctored image of a large, golden eagle attached to the White House's Truman Balcony on social media—the latest in a series of altered or AI-generated images the president has shared in recent months.
"A Golden Gift to the White House for its 250th Birthday Year!" Trump wrote alongside the image on Truth Social on Monday.
The president may have been referring to the nation's 250th anniversary, which falls on July 4, since initial construction on the White House began only 233 years ago in 1792. The residence opened for the first time in 1800, 226 years ago, when President John Adams and first lady Abigail Adams became the house's first residents.
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The image shows a bald eagle with its wings spanning the balcony's columns, along with a stars and stripes shield.
According to CNN, the image has details in its metadata that indicate it was created with Google AI.
The outlet also noted that the image did not appear to be real because of differences between the railings in the picture and the real-life Truman Balcony.
The shield in the image also has 11 stars, whereas the traditional version has 13 to reflect the 13 states at the time the United States was founded.
The president has a history of sharing doctored and AI-generated images on social media—including one depicting him as a Jesus-like figure healing the sick, which drew widespread criticism earlier this year.
Another image showed Trump and several Cabinet members swimming in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
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Trump, George Washington and a Robot
On Sunday night, the president shared an image on social media that featured a portrait of himself, George Washington and a humanoid robot.
The image includes landmarks such as the Statute of Liberty and Mount Rushmore and patriotic scenes such as the moon landing, the signing of the Declaration of Independence and part of Joe Rosenthal's iconic photograph of Marines raising the U.S. flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
It's unclear who made the image, but the president shared it on Truth Social with a caption that said, "Great painting!!"
Trump Warns of Consequences Amid Real-World Renovations
The AI-generated image of the golden eagle on the Truman Balcony is in keeping with the numerous renovations the president has initiated or proposed at the White House and elsewhere in the nation's capital.
Trump has warned of significant penalties for anyone causing damage to monuments in Washington, D.C., ahead of the nation's upcoming 250th anniversary celebrations.
On Monday, Trump repeated his claims that his renovation efforts at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool have been undermined by vandals, who he said were responsible for damage to the pool's liner. However, questions persist about whether the damage to the newly renovated landmark was caused by criminal activity or construction failures.
The Trump administration spent $16 million to refurbish the pool, including coating the pool's bottom in an "American flag blue," but the renovation quickly drew scrutiny when algae blooms turned the water green and sections of the lining began to peel away. Trump administration officials have repeatedly blamed vandals, though independent analyses and engineering experts suggest environmental factors or application defects could be to blame.
"The Reflecting Pool, which suffered great damage due to the Vandals and Radical Left SCUM that hate our Country, has been, for the past two days, in full operation. It looks beautiful!" Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday.
He said the pool would be drained after July 4 to "fix the damage done" and "have it looking as good as it was two weeks ago, when it was absolutely PERFECT!"
The president also warned that security officials would be "watching very carefully" over monuments, statues and fountains that were renovated across the capital. "If anyone attacks any of them," Trump wrote, "they get as much as 10 years in jail."
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Robinson and Shakeema Edwards.
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