Fact Check: Did the White House post an image of Trump in a sauna with other men?
WASHINGTON, DC: A rumor has been circulating on social media claiming that the White House posted an image showing President Donald Trump in a sauna alongside other half-naked men.
The photo has been widely shared, drawing mixed reactions from online users, with many calling for verification and prompting a fact-check.
Claim: White House posted an image of Trump in sauna
The rumor surfaced in the form of a screenshot purportedly showing a post from the White House’s official X account.
The alleged post features a muscular Trump in a sauna alongside other bare-chested, athletic-looking men wearing MAGA hats.
The image was accompanied by the caption, “We heard people have strong opinions on what to wear at the gym. Here's our opinion.”
The post has garnered almost half a million views as of this writing and continues to go viral. While many appear to believe it is an authentic White House post, others have dismissed it as fake and called for a fact-check.
Fact Check: False, White House posted no such image
However, the claim is false, as no such post appears on any of the White House’s social media accounts, including X.
A search of the White House’s X account using the caption yielded no results. Additionally, AI detection tools indicate that the image of Trump was generated using artificial intelligence.
A reverse image search of the screenshot revealed that it originated from an X account called @GaryPetersonUSA, which posted the fabricated screenshot on October 15. The account has shared several similar AI-generated images, likely intended as satire.
If the White House had actually posted such an image, it would likely have attracted coverage from credible news outlets. However, searches on Google and other search engines yielded no results supporting the claim.
White House rushed chandelier installation ahead of Trump’s birthday
The screenshot surfaced after the Washington Sun reported that the White House had arranged for the urgent installation of chandeliers in the West Wing ahead of Trump's 80th birthday celebrations in June.
According to the report, a contracting document dated June 5 described the work as urgent and specified that the chandeliers had to be installed over the following weekend, ahead of events marking the Fourth of July and Trump's birthday.
“This must happen over the weekend as these must be in place before the June anniversary events,” the document read.
