viral video share in thread 2024 Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump is claimed to be shown eating a carton of french fries during a recent visit to McDonald’s.
Posted by @hilmatthews
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Verdict: False
According to Reuters, the video was generated using artificial intelligence (AI) and scanned using the website TrueMedia.org. Media forensics and AI experts denied the video’s authenticity in an email to Check Your Fact.
Fact check:
McDonald’s said in a statement after President Trump’s visit that it “does not support candidates for elected office.” CNBC. The popular fast food restaurant chain also said it was not a “political brand,” the paper reported.
A video in the thread, which has more than 1,000 likes at the time of writing, purports to show Trump eating a carton of french fries during a recent visit to McDonald’s. In the video, Trump can be seen wearing an apron and standing next to a french fry station, eating a carton of french fries.
The video’s caption reads, “Also, I heard there was money missing from the McDonald’s cash register.”
That claim is false. The former Republican president has not addressed the allegations. His 2024 campaign website, His TRUTH social accountsor his Verified socializing media account.
Similarly, there is no mention that Trump ate a carton of French fries. Associated Press article from October 20th On the same day, he detailed a visit to a McDonald’s in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania. However, the newspaper did note that Trump made fries and held a press conference from a McDonald’s drive-thru window.
Additionally, from the article below USA Today, the hill, CNNand local outlets FOX 29 News Philadelphia There is also no mention of President Trump eating a carton of French fries during a visit to Feasterville-Trevose-based McDonald’s.
Furthermore, on October 24th, Reuters debunked this claim and reported that the video was generated by AI. The media outlet determined that the video was “manipulated” from actual photos of President Trump visiting McDonald’s using the website TrueMedia.org. Check Your Fact also attempted to run the scan in the following ways TrueMedia.org However, I received an error message stating that the website does not support threaded content. (Related: Did McDonald’s stock soar 200% after President Trump’s visit?)
Dr. Walter Shirer, a media forensics and AI expert at the University of Notre Dame, denied the video’s authenticity in an email to Check Your Fact.
“This is a fairly low-quality video synthesized from a generative AI algorithm. Trump’s hand and french fry container are heavily distorted throughout the video, fading in and out, and exhibiting unnatural geometric shapes. When President Trump eats French fries, they fly into the air, defying the laws of physics. These are common artifacts associated with this form of algorithmic video composition. This video is a serious attempt to fool the public. It’s more of a humorous parody,” Shirer said.
