Photo of the crashed truck of the “Trump train” has been altered and dates from 2015
The claim: The picture shows the truck of the “Trump train” racing against a bridge
A Threads post from August 5 (direct link, archive link) shows a semi-trailer truck with the words “All aboard the Trump train” crashed into a bridge underpass.
“It’s a metaphor,” reads the caption of the post.
The post received more than 600 likes in 10 days. Other versions of the claim were shared on Threads and X, formerly Twitter.
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The text on the truck has been digitally edited. The original photo from 2015 shows the phrase “There are no shortcuts to success” on the side of the truck.
Message “Trump Train” inserted into dated accident photo
The original photo of the crashed truck was published in a 2015 article in the New York local magazine “theLoop”. On the side of the photo is the message: “There are no shortcuts to success.” The article contains several photos of the truck from different angles, some of which also include this sentence.
The truck crashed into a bridge during an underpass in Mamaroneck, New York, the article says.
Polly Kreisman, editor of theLoop, confirmed to USA TODAY that the Threads post shows an altered version of the outlet’s photo.
Fact check: Image of Hitler with raised fist altered to resemble a photo of Trump
The truck shown in the article also bears the logo of Shaffer Trucking, a division of the trucking company Crete Carrier Corp.
Dave Snitily, a spokesman for Crete Carrier, told USA TODAY, “This is definitely a doctored/fake photo as there are no political advertisements on any of our tractors or trailers.”
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Reuters also debunked the claim. PolitiFact debunked it in 2022.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Viral ‘Trump train’ truck photo was altered | Fact check
