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| - Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, social media users shared a photo they claimed showed former U.S. President Donald Trump standing on "toe pads" in order to stop himself falling over.
The claim spread primarily on X, where one user who shared the image on Oct. 20, 2024 (archived), wrote: "Trump using pads under the tips of his shoes so he doesn't fall forward." That post had amassed more than 17.2 million views as of this writing.
However, it was not possible to confirm whether the objects seen in the picture were toe pads, nor was there any demonstrable evidence Trump was using them to stop himself from falling forward. Therefore, due to the claim being based on speculation, we have rated it as unfounded.
A reverse image search on Google revealed the photograph dated back to late December 2023, when other X users posted it alongside similar claims. However, it was not possible to locate the original picture.
Several artificial intelligence (AI) detection tools — IsItAI?, Hive Moderation and SightEngine — found it was highly unlikely the photo was produced using AI. In fact, the Mar-A-Lago geotag in the bottom right corner of the image suggested it first appeared as an Instagram story, which only stays live for a day, and was therefore not possible to trace to the original poster.
Four other photos of Trump from December 2023, all published by Getty Images, showed Trump standing without support under his toes or feet.
Trump speaking at a Commit to Caucus rally held at Whiskey River on Dec. 2, 2023, in Ankeny, Iowa. (Getty Images)
There were numerous other theories circulating on social media regarding the object seen in the image. However, all of these ideas were also based on pure speculation and could not be verified.
They included: some people claiming the item was a gaffer's sandbag, or that Trump was using it to mark his position without having to look down, or that he was standing on the object to create a better camera shot by aligning his stance with objects in the background. Some users suggested the former president was using the item as a foot pedal to control a teleprompter, while others said it corrected the former president's posture by preventing him from leaning forwards and implied Trump could be dealing with symptoms of frontotemporal dementia.
Responding to a request for comment via email, a Trump campaign
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