A gust of wind was enough to make Donald Trump the subject of one of the most talked-about photographs of 2020.
On February 7 of that year, while returning to the White House after a trip to North Carolina, the then-president was photographed walking through the grounds of the official residence.
The wind lifted his hair and revealed a strip of skin much lighter than the rest of his face, which appeared in the image with an intense orange hue.
The photograph, taken by William Moon, spread quickly and sparked a flood of memes about the president’s tan.
But Trump was quick to respond. On Twitter, he claimed that the image had been manipulated.
“More fake news. Obviously, this was edited with Photoshop, but the wind was strong and the hair looks good. Anything to discredit me!”, he wrote.
The photographer denied using Photoshop, although he acknowledged that he had adjusted the colors using a photo-editing app.
Other images taken that same day also showed differences in his skin tone, though they were much less pronounced.
What began as a casual photograph ended up becoming a viral controversy about the president’s appearance.