President Donald Trump has posted a manipulated image on his Truth Social platform showing former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama appearing to board an Air Force One aircraft covered in graffiti, marking the latest in a series of altered images targeting his predecessor.
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The image depicts the Obamas smiling and waving while standing at the top of the aircraft stairs beside a light blue and white presidential plane that has been digitally altered with graffiti. The markings include the slogans "Yes We Can," "Obama," and "BLM," referring to Black Lives Matter. Another inscription, written in Arabic, reads "alhamdulillah," meaning "praise be to God" or "thank God."
Latest in a Series of Posts
The post comes several months after Trump shared another altered image portraying the Obamas as primates in a jungle. That post, published during the first week of Black History Month, was deleted following widespread criticism from civil rights groups and members of both major political parties.
Although the post was later blamed on a staff member, Trump declined to apologize for it.
Donald Trump posts about the Obamas on Truth Social. / Truth Social
Trump has long directed personal criticism at Obama, including promoting the false claim that the former president was not born in the United States. He has also drawn criticism over remarks and social media posts that opponents have described as racially inflammatory.
The use of graffiti in the latest image has also attracted attention, with critics arguing it evokes stereotypes linking Black communities with crime and urban decay.
Air Force One in the Spotlight
The manipulated image was shared days after Trump flew for the first time aboard a newly retrofitted Boeing 747-800 that is serving as Air Force One. The aircraft, valued at about $400 million and gifted by Qatar, features a redesigned exterior that replaces the traditional light blue paint scheme with Trump's preferred navy-blue underside and red and gold stripes.
Trump had no public events on Sunday after delivering a speech in Washington the previous evening to mark Independence Day and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He spent the day at his golf club in Virginia before preparing to travel to Turkey on Monday for a NATO summit.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and a spokesperson for the Obamas also declined to comment.
More Doctored Images Shared
Sunday's post followed another manipulated image Trump shared last month depicting Obama's presidential library in Chicago with what appeared to be a large bag of rubbish on its roof and a surrounding wasteland. Trump claimed the library would become a "Mecca" for people who hate America and posted the altered image twice on Truth Social.
Among Sunday's other posts was an old photograph that appeared to show Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni smiling at Trump beneath the caption "RESTRAINING ORDER NEEDED."
The post comes after Trump claimed Meloni repeatedly asked to have her photograph taken with him during the recent G7 summit. Meloni rejected the account as "completely fabricated," saying neither she nor Italy had begged for a photo. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani subsequently cancelled a planned visit to Washington.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 7 July 2026
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