Photos of Donald Trump and security agents smiling after assassination attempt have been edited

Photos circulating on social media appear to show Donald Trump and security agents smiling just after he was shot at during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday evening (13 July). But these have been altered and the real photos do not show this. 

Former US President and presidential candidate Mr Trump survived the assassination attempt with a bullet wound to his ear, but one spectator, Corey Comperatore, was killed and two other people were seriously injured. The gunman, who was killed by a secret service sniper at the scene, has been named as Thomas Matthew Crooks. 

One image being shared online shows three security agents smiling as they surround Mr Trump, who has blood on his face. It has been shared more than 6,600 times on X (formerly Twitter) and also appears on Facebook and Threads with captions including: “Why are the secret service smiling? STAGED” and “Photo op of the century”.

Another image features only Mr Trump and shows him smiling with his hand raised and his injured ear visible. Overlaid text says: “Think they bought it?”

However, these images have been digitally altered—the original photos do not show the secret service agents or Mr Trump smiling. 

The original photo of the former president surrounded by security agents was captured by an Associated Press photographer and is a wider shot where the agents are not smiling. 

Moreover, the original photo featuring only Mr Trump shows him with a serious expression and the edited version has been cropped to remove the secret service agents around him. 

There are many photos of the scene, as well as [WARNING: potentially distressing material] full footage, and neither Mr Trump nor the security agents can be seen smiling. 

We’ve seen many examples of digitally altered content of politicians, including edited pictures featuring Prime Minister Keir Starmer, edited video of former prime minister and Conservative leader Rishi Sunak, and a false image of Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum.