Close Encounters: Donald Trump Shares an AI-Generated Photo of Himself With an Alien

As AI has become more common, people are seeing it used more readily in the world. For most of us, that means getting AI-generated invitations to birthday parties, or seeing AI artwork fill our newsfeeds on social media.

However, the one place you don't expect to see it used is by the sitting president of the United States. However, that's exactly what happened on May 17, 2026, when a series of posts from Donald Trump included a photo of him walking next to an AI-generated alien.

The post, which was part of a series of AI-generated images that included pictures of him blowing up spacecrafts, seemed to be shared as part of the Pentagon's decision to share some "never-before-seen" files that contained information about unidentified flying objects (AKA: UFOs).

It's unclear whether the picture was meant to serve as proof that humans are not alone in the world, or else just as a joke by the president. However, it clearly generated a lot of interest online, where it went viral.

The President's post was shared at 4:53 p.m. on Sunday, and it featured Trump's signature dark suit and red tie combo. The 79-year-old appeared to be on a military base (my guess would be Area 51), where he was joined by a man in fatigues and several men in suits.

The alien himself, who was unclothed other than a pair of shackles for his hands and feet, stood a good foot taller than Trump as the gaggle of men walked forward with serious looks on their faces.

Not even 24 hours after sharing it, the image had been "ReTruthed" thousands of times, with 17,500 likes. But it seemed like many of Trump's followers were confused by the post, and several of them wanted more information about what he meant by the post.

"What are you trying to tell us @realDonaldTrump," one person wrote. "Disclosure season? ‘I caught one’ energy? Or just the biggest troll in presidential history?" While Trump didn't immediately respond, we're left to assume it's the ladder.

According to Time Magazine, Trump ordered the release of 170 files on May 8, 2026, telling the Pentagon to post the information on its website for all the world to see.

The documents date back to the 1940s and contain the original reports that were received from people around the country. They include details that were provided by regular citizens who believe they witnessed something extraterrestrial, as well as trained Navy pilots who provided video proof of what they say they saw in the sky.

And while there is photo, and in some cases video, proof to back up the claims, the U.S. government has been pretty tight-lipped about what it all means.

That has left many wondering if Trump's post was meant to confirm that we are not alone, or if he is once again trying to rile up his base with some online trolling.