A viral photograph appearing to show Donald Trump kissing his aide Natalie Harp has sent social media into a frenzy.
Advertisements
The picture appears to show the US president standing close to Harp on a golf course, with the pair seemingly sharing an intimate moment.
It quickly sparked speculation about the nature of their relationship, with some social media users treating the image as evidence of an alleged affair.
The viral image sparks speculation
The photograph shows a man resembling Trump in a white shirt and light-coloured trousers standing close to a blonde woman dressed in white.
The woman appears to be wearing a golf glove and holding a golf club, while a golf cart can be seen behind the pair.
The image quickly spread across X, with some users claiming the woman was Natalie Harp, Trump’s executive assistant.
One social media user wrote: “Trump got caught, it seems!!”
Another reacted: “Well, well, well… I think I’ve seen just about enough of this nonsense!”
The claims have also prompted accusations that Trump was being unfaithful to Melania Trump.
However, those allegations are not supported by credible evidence.
Why Natalie Harp is at the centre of the story
The image has attracted particular attention because Harp is already a prominent figure in Trump’s inner circle.
The White House aide has frequently accompanied the president on trips and golf outings and has become increasingly visible in recent weeks.
She was with Trump during his recent Ireland trip, where he visited his Doonbeg golf resort while attending the Irish Open.
Harp has also attracted considerable media attention because of her unusually close working relationship with Trump.
She has been nicknamed the ‘human printer’ because of her role in providing Trump with printed material and assisting with his social-media activity.
Recent reports have also highlighted her presence alongside Trump during his golf trips and at the White House.
The bizarre detail people spotted
As the clearer version of the photograph began circulating, users started examining it more closely.
One of the biggest clues was the woman’s hand, which appears to have six fingers.
That detail has led numerous users to conclude that the photograph was created or manipulated using artificial intelligence.
Other alleged inconsistencies have also been highlighted, including the appearance and positioning of the golf clubs, details of the golf cart and Trump’s ear.
One commenter described the extra finger as the ‘icing on the cake’ when arguing that the image was AI-generated.
Another wrote: “It’s AI”, pointing to the golf clubs, the woman’s hand and other details in the photograph.
The apparent anomalies have since been picked up by multiple reports examining the viral image.
Despite the intense speculation, the photograph remains unauthenticated.
Hindustan Times reported that there was no mainstream reporting documenting the alleged interaction and that checks of the image indicated it was likely AI-generated.
News18 likewise reported that the image remained unverified, with the apparent six-fingered hand among the details fuelling claims that it had been generated or manipulated.
The White House responds
The photograph has nevertheless generated a huge reaction online, with some users initially believing it showed a real intimate encounter.
One X user described the supposed scene as ‘shameless’ and criticised the alleged behaviour, while others questioned how such a photograph could have emerged.
But as more people examined the image, attention shifted towards the apparent AI clues.
The result is a viral photograph that has fuelled claims about Trump’s personal life, despite there being no credible evidence that the supposed kiss actually took place.
The strongest evidence points towards the image being digitally manipulated or AI-generated rather than a genuine photograph of Trump and Harp.
The image has since been examined by Snopes, which found multiple reasons to question its authenticity.
The White House declined to provide legitimate photographs of Donald Trump and Natalie Harp golfing for comparison, but a spokesperson described the image as ‘clearly a fake photo.’
Snopes also contacted political commentator Keith Edwards after finding the image in a thumbnail for one of his YouTube videos, with Edwards saying: “My thumbnail team found the image online. We did not create or alter the underlying image, but we also did not independently verify its original source or that the woman pictured is Natalie Harp. Given that only the back of her head is visible, I don’t think her identity can be confirmed from this image alone.”
Snopes found that the higher-resolution version contained several apparent signs of AI manipulation, including a watermark associated with OpenAI’s generative AI tools and an image of the woman apparently holding a golf club with six fingers.
Hany Farid, a professor at Drexel University and co-founder of deepfake detection company GetReal, examined the versions and told Snopes: “The high-resolution version was clearly derived from the lower-resolution version and has a SynthID watermark. As for the lower-resolution version, there is not a lot to go on here given the quality and resolution.”
Farid added: “While there are no obvious visual anomalies, the low quality/resolution is a bit of a red flag. In particular, given the apparent narrow depth of focus, this does not appear to photographed with a mobile device and is more likely taken with a DSLR that would afford this type of narrow depth of focus. Assuming this to be the case, I would expect the image quality to be better. At this point, I’d say the authenticity is inconclusive.”
Snopes ultimately left the claim unrated, noting that while the higher-resolution image showed strong indications of AI generation or editing, the poorer-quality original could not be conclusively authenticated.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(753x271:755x273):format(webp)/cole-the-deaf-dog-112125-1a-ad248101bd174108a795d88d6afd93d8.jpg?fit=750,500&ssl=1 "Elementary School Throws Deaf Therapy Dog a Surprise Birthday Party as Students Learn Sign Language to Sing ‘Happy Birthday’")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/Victoria-Zavakos-7-110725-b4357c6a687249c7978c0f27f6fe23f8.jpg?fit=750,500&ssl=1 "Mom with Limb Difference Shocks the Internet When She Pulls Out a Vacuum to Do Her Daughter’s Hair (Exclusive)")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/Mel-Gibson-Fanexpo-Chicago-083126-f90ea0e0e7904853b5fd33a8b889840f.jpg?ssl=1 "Mel Gibson Apologizes for ‘Spontaneous Thoughtless Idiocy’ After Using Mock Sign Language at Toronto Fan Event")
