A video shows a huge statue of Jesus being built outside the White House.
These clips aren’t real, and have likely been generated with Artificial Intelligence (AI). There are a number of glitches in the footage, and a live stream of the White House, as well as recent press photographs, do not show any such building work of a statue is taking place.
Clips which appear to show a huge statue of Jesus being built outside the lawn of the White House are not real.
The footage has been shared widely on social media, including on TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook, where it has been shared over 8,500 times.
In the video shared on Facebook, a man is speaking over clips which show scaffolding and building work around a large statue, similar to Christ the Redeemer, with the White House visible in the background. The man says: “A statue of Jesus Christ is being put up right now at the White House.”
But this isn’t true, and no such statue is being constructed at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The video has most likely been created using Artificial Intelligence (AI).
It also includes a real clip of President Donald Trump speaking about Jesus which dates from his first term as president in October 2020.
A clearer version of the two background clips of the statue were shared by a TikTok account in February with a description saying: “A first look at the 200-foot statue of Jesus being risen on the White House lawn.”
But there are a number of discrepancies in the footage that strongly suggest both videos are AI, including construction staff merging and moving through scaffolding, and distorted arms and legs. The two clips appear to have been mirrored horizontally in the version being shared on Facebook and Instagram.
Moreover, a livestream which shows the White House in real time around the clock reveals no such statue on the front lawn. Recent photographs from the president’s residence also do not show any statue under construction.
The TikTok account has also shared dozens of other similarly AI-created videos of huge statues or representations of Jesus in various locations, including a giant statue of Jesus made of burgers and another of Easter eggs.
Although some claims and videos we write about may seem obviously false, we still fact check them because it may not be clear to everyone that they are untrue, particularly more casual internet users. We’ve written about this in more detail on our blog.
Before sharing images or videos that you see on social media, it’s worth considering whether they could have been made or altered with AI. Our recent blog explained how to spot whether something is AI.
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as altered because live footage from the White House, as well as recent press photographs, do not show the construction of a huge statue of Jesus on the front lawn.
Full Fact fights for good, reliable information in the media, online, and in politics.
Bad information ruins lives. It promotes hate, damages people’s health, and hurts democracy. You deserve better.