Trump campaign uses altered photos of Biden in new ad

An ad released by President Trump’s re-election campaign falsely depicts former Vice President Joe Biden as “hiding” alone in his basement using an image edited to remove several other people.

The Trump campaign tweeted the ad Wednesday. The edited picture of Biden sitting on the floor of a house appears about five seconds in, as a narrator claims Biden is “hiding … in his basement.”

In fact, the original image depicts Biden and several other people in the home of Coralsville, Iowa, Mayor John Lundell in December 2019.

The photo was used and edited without permission, according to The Gazette, which published the original picture.

Deep in the heart of Delaware, Joe Biden sits in his basement.

Alone. Hiding. Diminished. pic.twitter.com/0QVsbp2iis

— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) August 5, 2020

Photo editor Liz Martin, who took the picture, said about three dozen people were present at the event, and told the newspaper that Biden had sat on the floor so someone else could have his seat.

Iowa state Sen. Zach Wahls (D) noticed the altered image on Twitter, saying he was also present at 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,” Wahls tweeted “Biden was neither hiding nor alone nor in ‘the heart of Delaware’ when this photo was taken.”

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) August 5, 2020

Another manipulated photo shows a microphone edited out of Biden’s hands and a different background.

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) August 5, 2020

The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.