A Thanksgiving photo shared by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is prompting confusion after social media users noticed it looked strikingly similar to an earlier, well-known image of the same group of people.
Kennedy shared the image on Thursday, featuring President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr. and Kennedy seated around a holiday feast aboard a private jet. But many online quickly questioned whether the shot had been digitally altered.
Why It Matters
The Thanksgiving post comes as digitally manipulated imagery becomes increasingly common—and increasingly scrutinized. Earlier this month, Trump was criticized for sharing an AI video of himself and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.
With AI-generated visuals now able to closely mimic real photographs, public figures face growing skepticism from audiences who are learning to question what they see online.
This week two near-identical images made with Google’s new Nano Banana Pro prompted people to declare the end of traditional photography with an AI image so realistic it had people stunned.
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What To Know
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Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted the image on his own social media accounts on Instagram and X on Thursday.
The picture is near identical to a photo was taken during the 2024 campaign and shared by Margo Martin, special assistant to the president and communications advisor. In this picture Trump, Kennedy, Elon and Trump Jr. were pictured eating McDonald’s aboard Trump’s private jet.
The image circulated widely at the time as an unusual glimpse into the group’s behind-the-scenes camaraderie, making it instantly recognizable when Kennedy’s Thanksgiving version appeared online.
In Kennedy’s new image, a full Thanksgiving dinner replaced the fast-food meal, while the men’s poses, clothing folds, table layout and background remained nearly identical.
The Instagram post has more than 228,000 likes at the time of writing, while the X post has been viewed 10.9 million times.
Many rushed to point out that the updated image was likely photoshopped or AI-generated, citing unusually glossy or stylized food and repeated visual details.
In the posts, Kennedy did not make it clear that the image had been altered, leaving people online confused and asking questions about the Thanksgiving meal picture.
Newsweek reached out to Kennedy via his office for comment.
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What People Are Saying
Donald Trump Jr., who appears in both images, responded light-heartedly on Instagram and wrote: “LOL. Good times.”
Pete Souza, former chief official White House photographer for Presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, said on Instagram: “This is a fake photo, photoshopped in the turkey in place of when you were eating a Big Mac. Which means this calls into question the authenticity of EVERY photo you post on this government account. They must all be fake.”
Actor and self-proclaimed Trump supporter Jason Poston said on Instagram: “Thankful for this crew.”
X user and MAGA supporter Diana Smigaj wrote: “FYI this is a year ago and AI altered according to Grok.”
