This photo is the last Christmas portrait of the US president and first lady as they leave the White House on January 20, following the election defeat of President-elect Joe Biden following Mr Trump’s defeat in the November 3 national election.
On Friday, Ms Trump shared a portrait on her Twitter account that showed the couple wearing matching tuxedos in front of festive decorations.
The first lady tweeted on Friday, “Merry Christmas from President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump,” captioning the portrait.
“ERealDonaldTrump & LFLOTUS appear on their official 2020 Christmas portrait, December 10, on the Grand Staircase of the White House (photo of Andrea Hanks, official White House) in Washington, DC,” he added.
However, as soon as Ms Trump posted the photo on Twitter, social media users began to question the authenticity of the photo. InStyle.
“What a beautiful photo (shop). Was Donald removed from a photo from the same meeting? Twitter user ran Frankverterosa mentions a photo of Mr. Trump at a party hosted by Cornwall Duchess Prince Charles and Camila at Winfield House in the UK in 2019.
“They even lie on a Christmas card,” user iteRiteOnAngiePike added, referring to a photo of the couple visiting the UK last June.
In the first photo from 2019, you can see President Trump wearing the same tuxedo, while posing with the same tough pose and smile as in the official portrait.
Other Twitter users felt that the image did not look right, @ brethunter9 wrote: “Strange cutting and pasting work never seen before.
“They both look at the two-dimensional cut-outs / animation, which is exaggerated on one screen. DD’s face came from the previous photo. Strange until the last.”
When user @ Boucher30032337 claimed that the shadows behind the couple did not match, jsjlstwit said President Trump “did not look at the camera”.
This is not the first time the couple has been accused of photoshopping their official Christmas portrait, as social media users have said their 2018 image has been altered.
At the time, photographer David Arnold said Vogue The film “to reinforce an illusion of reality” seems to have faded.
He added: “If I’m editing, I have to do a bad job occasionally. If it’s fake, I’ll blunt the whole thing.”
The Independent Ms Trump has contacted the team for comment.