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| - In mid-May 2026, a claim circulated online that President Donald Trump posted an image of himself walking alongside a tall, grey alien with shackles on its hands and feet.
For example, one Instagram account that shared the image (archived) said it was generated using artificial intelligence software and that Trump posted it on Truth Social, writing, in part:
Donald Trump shared an AI-generated image on Truth Social showing himself walking beside a tall grey alien in shackles.
The post had no caption, but it quickly went viral because of the strange military base setting and obvious AI glitches.
It was part of a larger late-night posting spree filled with aliens, UFOs, space battles, and Space Force imagery.
Users on X and Bluesky also shared the image, claiming the president posted it on his social media platform.
(Truth Social user @realDonaldTrump)
Trump did indeed post the above image on his verified Truth Social account amid a spree of content that focused on China, the U.S. Space Force and criticism of Democrats. As such, we rate this claim true.
The president shared the image without any caption on May 17 (archived). The image shows clear signs of being AI-generated, such as including the extraterrestrial figure, the inconsistent shadows and the incomplete shackle on the alien's arms.
Trump's post came after the Department of Defense released a declassified batch of UFO files, or files related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, otherwise known as UAP, on May 8. The files did not reveal any concrete evidence of aliens landing on earth. As we previously reported, UAP are usually associated with extraterrestrial life and technology, but the U.S. government describes them as "sources of anomalous detections in one or more domain (i.e., airborne, seaborne, spaceborne, and/or transmedium) that are not yet attributable to known actors and that demonstrate behaviors that are not readily understood by sensors or observers."
Snopes has covered numerous examples of Trump posting AI-generated content. We've also looked into a claim about Natalie Harp, the aide reportedly responsible for managing his Truth Social account.
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