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An image making the rounds on social media purports to show Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks wearing a t-shirt praising President Joe Biden and labeling former President Donald Trump a “psycho.” But is the image real? No.
In posts to platforms such as X and Facebook, Hanks can allegedly be seen with the words “Vote For Joe, Not The Psycho” across his chest. The image has stirred a wide range of reactions from users who either celebrated the message, condemned it, or questioned its authenticity.
Many supporters of the image responded by simply typing “Yes!!!”
Others argued that Hanks should stick to acting and stop making statements related to politics.
“No. He's a good entertainer. He should stick with that,” one user said.
The primary response, however, came from enraged Trump supporters who were quick to attack Hanks for the alleged shirt.
“He does not feel the pain of a miserable economy,” another said. “I find it hard to believe that someone could vote for Biden now.”
Hanks was also targeted with QAnon-related conspiracy theories that falsely claim without evidence that the actor was associated with deceased sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.
“Tom Hanks is a member of Epstein Island frequent flier club,” one user said.
Hanks has been added to numerous fake flight logs that claim he visited Epstein’s private island. Despite being repeatedly debunked, and despite the actual legitimate logs being widely available, conspiracy theorists remain convinced that Hanks is a ruthless pedophile.
“Yup. Epstein Island Tom doesn’t want Trump back... none of them do!” another said.
Yet many users noticed the poor quality of the image and noted that it appeared to be manipulated.
“Terrible graphics bro,” one user wrote. “Try harder.”
Those who questioned the image were right to be skeptical. It was quickly revealed that the t-shirt was fake. The original image of Hanks, which he shared to his X account in 2015, shows him wearing a soccer jersey instead.
Nevertheless, the altered image has been viewed more than 200,000 times in just one post on X alone. And while Hanks is a vocal Democrat, he has never been seen wearing any shirt referring to Trump as a psycho.
Why it matters
The manipulation of images, especially of t-shirts worn by prominent figures, is an increasingly common tactic for those looking to spread disinformation. While the image in question was clearly of poor quality, it still appeared to fool many online.
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