In brief
- The image shared by the White House was based on a photo previously posted by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem but appeared to include additional text and visual edits not present in the original.
- Users added a Community Note to the post, citing analysis by U.S. fact-checking outlet Lead Stories that questioned how the image had been modified and framed.
- The post circulated as the administration has backed proposals to curb AI-generated and manipulated media, arguing such content can undermine public trust.
The White House is facing scrutiny after its official X account shared an allegedly modified image tied to the arrest of a woman during a protest involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The photo in question shows the arrest of Nekima Levy Armstrong, who “played a key role in orchestrating the Church Riots in St. Paul, Minnesota,” according to a statement on Thursday from U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Users on X have added a Community Note, a crowdsourced moderation feature that allows contributors to attach contextual information to posts they believe may be misleading, to the White House’s post, citing verification conducted by a U.S.-based fact-checking outlet, Lead Stories.
The church protest in Minnesota that preceded Armstrong’s arrest occurred on January 18, when protesters entered a service at Cities Church, prompting federal law enforcement attention and subsequent arrests.
Armstrong is “being charged with a federal crime under 18 USC 241,” Secretary Noem said, referring to a criminal statute that makes it a federal crime for two or more people to conspire to interfere with someone’s constitutionally protected rights.
Court records confirming whether formal charges have been filed were not immediately available.
In Secretary Noem’s post, Armstrong appears expressionless, looking slightly to her left as an officer, whose face is blurred, accompanies her.
Exactly thirty-three minutes after Secretary Noem’s post, the official White House account on X posted what appeared to be an altered or modified version of Armstrong’s arrest.
The White House post was quoting a prior statement from Attorney General Pamela Bondi, who said the government does not “tolerate attacks on places of worship.”
The new image, overlaid with bold text from the White House describing Armstrong as a “far-left agitator,” appears to include additional visual edits that accentuate facial distress not visible in the original photograph.
Roughly three hours after the post, Kaelan Dorr, Deputy Communications Director at the White House, retweeted the image, characterizing those arrested as “perpetrators of heinous crimes.”
“Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue,” Dorr said.
The episode comes as President Donald Trump and his administration have pushed for tougher restrictions on the use of AI-generated or manipulated media, particularly in political contexts.
Last year, Trump signed a bipartisan bill aimed at curbing deepfakes and deceptive synthetic imagery, arguing that altered media poses a threat to public trust and democratic institutions.
Decrypt has reached out to the White House press office for comment and will update this story should they respond.
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