Fact check: Viral image of Donald Trump sleeping during FIFA World Cup final is AI-generated

12 hours ago 4

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POTUS had attended the game and awarded medals and trophies to the winners

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Multiple users have been sharing an image across social media platforms since Monday, allegedly showing US President Donald Trump sleeping during the FIFA World Cup final. However, the image is AI-generated.

On Sunday, Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time to win the FIFA World Cup 2026, ending Argentina’s hopes of becoming the first team in 64 years to successfully defend the title. Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal, while Rodri was named Player of the Tournament and Unai Simón won the Golden Glove.

Trump attended the final and later joined FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the post-match award ceremony, where they presented medals and trophies to the winners.

Trump often appears to doze off or rest his eyes during official events, cabinet gatherings, and public appearances. He appeared to doze in a cabinet meeting, caught forty winks during a meeting in the Oval Office, nodded off at a Memorial Day event, and fell into a light snooze during the NBA finals. The frequency of these moments has prompted ongoing political discussions and public scrutiny regarding his age, health, and stamina.

How it started

On Monday, a digital music platform, Datpiff, shared an image on X showing Trump sleeping during the FIFA World Cup final with the following caption: “It was only a matter of time.”

The post gained 383,000 views.

Another user shared the same visual with a similar context with the following caption: “Even the booos couldn’t keep him awake.”

The post attracted 163,000 views on X.

A Turkish user shared the same visual in a similar context on July 21, with the following caption: “President of the US, Donald Trump’s falling asleep during the World Cup final has become a subject of ridicule on social media. Why does Trump keep falling asleep?”

The post garnered 1.3 million views.

A Chinese user on X shared the same image with a similar caption, gaining 109,000 views

Another user on Instagram shared the same image with the following caption: “Trump getting dragged by the world is a beautiful way to start the week.”

The image was liked by 298,000 users.

A user on Threads also shared the same image with the caption: “Of course he fell asleep at The World Cup,” gaining 10,000 likes.

A news aggregator website, News Break, shared the same visual in a similar context, sourcing one of the viral claims mentioned above.

The article was titled: “Was Donald Trump Sleeping In The Stands At The World Cup Final.”

The image was shared by several other users on Facebook, YouTube, and X, further amplifying the virality, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here; collectively accumulating 128,000 views.

Methodology

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in the World Cup final and Trump’s health.

A keyword search was conducted to verify whether any credible US or international media outlets had reported that Trump fell asleep during the FIFA World Cup final 2026 between Argentina and Spain. However, the search did not yield any such reports.

A reverse image search on the viral visual yielded a New York Post article, published on Sunday, titled “Trump seen marvelling at World Cup trophy as he becomes first sitting US president to attend final.”

The article featured an image showing FIFA President Gianni Infantino showing the FIFA World Cup trophy to President Trump. The trophy is visible in the background, while the screen clearly displays the Argentina vs Spain final, matching the visuals shown in the viral image. In the image, Trump was not sleeping.

The full livestream of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final was reviewed to determine whether Trump slept at any point during the match. No such moment was found. At approximately the 11:25-minute mark, Infantino can be seen showing the FIFA World Cup trophy to President Trump. A frame captured from this moment closely matches the viral image. However, Trump is clearly awake and looking at the trophy.

A side-by-side comparison of the authentic frame and the viral image revealed a discrepancy. In the authentic footage, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, seated behind Trump, is not wearing glasses, whereas he appears wearing glasses in the viral image, indicating that the image had been manipulated.