Trump accuses The New York Times of falsifying a photo of his resort in Miami with artificial intelligence

Listen to the article. The audio text is automated, generated by an automated system

US President Donald Trump accused the New York Times of altering a photo of his Trump National Doral resort in Miami, claiming that it artificially added traces of mold to the facade of the building to show it in poor condition. The newspaper denied the accusations and confirmed that the photo was original and was taken in 2020.

On Monday morning, Trump posted on his “Truth Social” platform a comparative picture, which he attached to a comment in which he said: “Look what the New York Times did to my beautiful Doral resort! They faked the picture. They artificially added mold to the entire building when they referred to it in a report!” He described one of the two images as representing “synthetic news,” while another he said reflects “reality.”

Report on hosting the G20 Summit

Trump's accusations came after a report published by the newspaper regarding his plans to host the G20 summit next December at his private resort in Doral, Florida.

The report addressed the ethical questions related to hosting world leaders in a facility owned by the US President, in light of fears of conflicts of interest.

The move brings to the fore Trump's previous attempt to host the G7 summit in the same resort in 2019, a plan that faced political objections, including from Republican figures, before he backed down from it.

The photo that the newspaper used in its report was taken by photographer Scott McIntyre in 2020, and shows the facade of the club building in faded colors and traces of pigmentation on its surface.

The newspaper says the photo is authentic

The New York Times rejected Trump's accusations, and its spokeswoman, Nicole Taylor, said that the president repeated an incorrect claim about the newspaper publishing a fake photo of his private resort, stressing that the photo used in the report is original and was taken by a photographer affiliated with the newspaper in 2020.

Media reports, including a report by Newsweek magazine, indicated that there were archival photos from Getty Images dating back to the years 2023 and 2026, showing similar discolorations and traces of corrosion on the facade itself.

The photo that Trump published as a representative of reality differs from the newspaper photo in terms of photography angle, lighting, and surrounding scene, and it appears to be a promotional photo published on the Trump Organization’s website, which makes comparing the two photos alone insufficient to prove that the press photo was tampered with.

Renewed disagreement over media coverage

This was not the first time that Trump attacked the newspaper because of the same photo; On October 5, he published similar comments, in which he described the New York Times in offensive terms and directed sharp criticism at its employees.

The debate comes at a time when Trump is preparing to host leaders of the G20 countries at a facility he owns, which raises questions about a potential conflict of interest when an American president hosts an official international event at one of his private commercial properties.