AN IMAGE purporting to show Donald Trump’s dramatic orange tan line has been dismissed as “fake news” by the US President.
It comes in the wake of the social media storm that greeted the image after it was posted on Twitter by the unofficial account White House Photos.
The photograph was originally taken by William Moon as the Commander-in-Chief made his way to the Oval Office.
@realDonaldTrump returns to the White House from Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo by William Moon at the South Lawn of the White House on February 7, 2020 pic.twitter.com/n1a1Z93LrJ
— White House Photos (@photowhitehouse) February 7, 2020
Trump emerged as the source of widespread ridicule in the wake of the photo’s release with the noticeably striking tan line present in the image prompting the hashtag #orangeface.
It drew amused comparisons with everything from YouTube make-up tutorials through to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s legendary Oompa Loompas.
Tupperware after you store spaghetti in it pic.twitter.com/l2Q026Swgj
— 𝕾𝖎𝖑𝖔𝖓𝖌 (@thefakeSilong) February 8, 2020
Who wore it best? #OrangeFace pic.twitter.com/591IfwxLQW
— David Leavitt (@David_Leavitt) February 8, 2020
I wish I could Photoshop and I also wish I had the genius to create this #OrangeFace pic.twitter.com/1nKbUiB8ak
— DTLA Comix King (@ResistandDesist) February 9, 2020
The stain of Impeachment never washes off.#OrangeFace pic.twitter.com/RNF6vFXROD
— STOP tRumpnado 🌊 (@Trumpnado2016) February 8, 2020
“And you guys thought I was stupid for staring into eclipses” #OrangeFace pic.twitter.com/C6MrkNOoqn
— Jessj (@jessinglyj) February 9, 2020
One man who definitely wasn’t amused, however, was Trump.
Taking to Twitter in his now customary manner, he dismissed the photo, claiming it had been digitally altered.
“More Fake News,” he wrote on Twitter.
“This was photoshopped, obviously, but the wind was strong and the hair looks good? Anything to demean!”
In the wake of the claims, Mr Moon returned to social media to explain that while the image had not been photoshopped, he had used an Apple smartphone app to adjust the colour.
This picture was never photoshopped, but used the Apple smartphone’s photo app to adjust the color of the picture.
— White House Photos (@photowhitehouse) February 8, 2020
Describing himself as a “White House Correspondent, Journalist, Photographer, Poet and Pesco Vegetarian” on social media, Moon is not a White House employee or member of the White House News Photographers Association
Meanwhile, a Washington Post investigation into the image reached that the conclusion that a bronzer, or artificial tanner, was the cause of the orange hue present on Trump’s face.
