Yahoo News 'Lying grifters': Trump campaign manipulates photos of Biden in new attack ad
President Donald Trump’s campaign team has been called out for using edited images of Joe Biden to falsely depict him in a number of unflattering scenarios.
Team Trump released the 30-second video on Wednesday which accuses Mr Biden as being isolated and alone, “diminished” and “hiding” in a basement.
“Deep in the heart of Delaware, Joe Biden sits in his basement. Alone. Hiding. Diminished,” the caption of the advert reads.
One photo of Mr Biden sitting “alone” at “his house” was edited from an original image that shows him and several other people in the home of Coralsville, Iowa, Mayor John Lundell in December 2019.
According to The Gazette, which originally photographed and published the image, the photo was used by the campaign without the newspaper's permission.
Another image of hows a microphone edited out of Biden's hands and a darkened background to make the atmosphere look bleak.
Social media users were quick to point out that images portrayed were heavily doctored from their original state.
About that new Trump ad alleging that Biden is “Alone. Hiding. Diminished.”
The clip at the four second mark is edited to make it look like he is sitting on the floor of his basement alone.
But it’s from an Iowa event last December. The room was full. See below: pic.twitter.com/t6ZcUHUXfZ— Philip Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann)
"Not addressing the substance of your ads, but why are you relying on altered photos? You've photoshopped the people out of the room where they were watching a game, and the trees and microphone out of his hand as he's about to address a crowd, among other misrepresentations. Odd," one user wrote.
"That’s an easy one... because they are lying grifters," another accused in response.
Biden was photographed touching his forehead while conducting a town hall at an Iowa nature preserve in September 2019.
The Trump campaign edited out his mic and the trees to portray him as stuck in his Delaware basement...though kept his sunglasses. https://t.co/3XT2tmJZHj pic.twitter.com/I2zgIL1x0M— Daniel Dale (@ddale8)
Iowa state senator Zach Wahls also criticised the campaign for the living room image, saying he was also present at Mr Lundell’s home that evening.
"I was literally in the room of my Iowa town mayor's Holiday Bowl watch party when this photo was taken. Mr Biden was neither hiding nor alone nor in "the heart of Delaware" when this photo was taken...", he wrote.
I was literally in the room of my Iowa town mayor's Holiday Bowl watch party when this photo was taken. Biden was neither hiding nor alone nor in "the heart of Delaware" when this photo was taken... pic.twitter.com/iQSWoPhLYX
— Zach Wahls (@ZachWahls)
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to The Independent's request for comment.
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