By: Chandan Borgohain
August 25 2023
Photo of Tom Hanks wearing 'Keep America Trumpless' T-shirt has been digitally manipulated
Share Article:
Fact-Check
The Verdict False
This is a digitally altered image. The original photo was taken in March 2020 in Sydney and shows Hanks sporting a plain T-shirt.
Claim ID f2b90e4b
Context
A photo of Hollywood actor Tom Hanks appears to show him wearing an anti-Trump T-shirt. Circulating on social media alongside the trending #TrumpMugShot hashtag, the T-shirt reads, "Keep America Trumpless." A post on the platform X (formerly Twitter) captioned, "WHO agrees with Tom Hanks? #TrumpMugShot" has gained over 1.3 million views and over 8,000 reposts. Another viral post read: "Tom Hanks for Trumpless America." Read an archived version here.
Screenshots of viral X posts. (Source:X/@Amelia84M,@TitularAlmighty)
However, this is fake. The image has been edited.
In fact
We analyzed the viral image and found an article published by British tabloid The Sun on March 13, 2020, which carried the same photo. The Sun credited celebrity news agency Backgrid for the image.
Comparing both images, we can see that the viral image is a cropped version of the original one, and it has been digitally manipulated to show him wearing an anti-Trump T-shirt. The original and uncropped version of the photo gives a broader view, showing Hanks walking with his wife, Rita Wilson. It shows Hanks in a plain grey T-shirt, not a black printed one, as seen in the viral image.
A visual comparison of the viral image with the original one. (Source: X/@Amelia84M, Photo by Backgrid seen in The Sun/Altered by Logically Facts)
According to the article, the photo was taken in March 2020 in Sydney before Hanks and his wife were diagnosed with COVID-19. The photo's caption reads, "The Hanks strolling around Sydney before their diagnosis on March 6."
We found a similar photo of Hanks and his wife in the same outfits in an article published by the Spanish media website Quien on March 12, 2020. The article title, translated from Spanish, says, "Tom Hanks' son shares how his dad is doing after being diagnosed with coronavirus" and mentions that the couple were seen walking in the streets of Sydney before they were diagnosed with COVID-19.
Another similar photo of Hanks and Wilson in the same clothing can also be seen in an article in the West Australian published on March 12, 2020. This photo was taken from a different angle and was credited to Backgrid, KPGG, and KHAPGG. According to the caption, the photo was taken in Bondi, Sydney. From this photo, we can identify that the person walking behind the couple in a blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves (as seen in the viral image) is their son, Truman Hanks.
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson walking on a street in Sydney with their son, Truman Hanks. (Source: Quien/The West Australian)
We also located another similar image of the couple and their son in an article published by the Australian website news.com.au. All these photos show the actor wearing a plain t-shirt, not bearing the message seen in the viral photo.
The verdict
The viral image showing actor Tom Hanks wearing a T-shirt with "Keep America Trumpless" written on it is not genuine and has been digitally manipulated. Several news reports carry the original version of the image where Hanks can be seen wearing a plain T-shirt. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.