At a casual glance, the image is enough to make the blood boil.
A young Donald Trump from his wild and crazy days grins for the camera. Cozying up to Trump on his left shoulder in an almost intimate gesture is convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. And around them are young girls who look like they should be doing their homework instead of cooing over two older men.
But once the internet sleuths of social media were through, the image seems more relegated to the first lesson in a Photoshop 101 class than a blockbuster discovery.
In a world of deep fakes, AI and images doctored to show what the editor wants them to show, a picture can become a powerful political weapon of distortion. On social media, several Twitter posters explained why a close look is always necessary when a picture seems too good — or too bad — to be true.
Twitter poster Catturd suggested that a good fake gives everyone all of the usual body parts and keeps everything looking … well, human. He referred to the girl on the left of the frame, who has an arm span a WNBA all-star would envy, as well as the fact that Epstein ends where most people start growing legs.
“Dear left … If you’re going to photoshop a picture … try to give Epstein a pair of legs and don’t have a girl with a 30 foot arm,” he posted.
Dear left …
If you’re going to photoshop a picture … try to give Epstein a pair of legs and don’t have a girl with a 30 foot arm … 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/tBfQjZozjt
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) May 9, 2023
Too many hands and the girls knees don’t match! 🤣🤣🤣 Epstein looking like Lt. Dan 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/luwt6Rjebm
— Kiss My Patriot A$$!! (@DebbieThomas88) May 9, 2023
Remember to include Epstein’s legs in your next deep fake photo of Trump.
— Don Hurley (@realDonHurley) May 9, 2023
Poster Jeffrey Myers suggested we not be too hard on the robots while they get these things right.
This is most likely AI-generated.
The current AI versions, even the best, often struggle to place hands and feet correctly.
— Jeffery Myers:UNLEASHED (@jefferymyers) May 9, 2023
Another poster zoomed in on one section of the photo and noted the mysterious appearance of far too many hands.
How many hands do you see? pic.twitter.com/yIYSjkQhE5
— Borzie x Lambb.jpeg (📸,🔮) (@BorzieGuccione) May 9, 2023
After the 2019 arrest that put Epstein in the jail cell where he would later die, Trump said he may have been seen with Epstein socially, but they were not friends.
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“I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you,” Trump said then, according to The Washington Post.
The two knew each other, but about 15 years ago, Trump broke ties with Epstein.
“The reason doesn’t make any difference, frankly,” Trump said, noting that he banned Epstein from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.