Fact Check: Donald Trump Has Not Replaced Lincoln Portrait In Oval Office, Viral Image Is Edited

<div style=”background-color: #f7f9fa; padding: 10px;”>
<h2 style=”margin: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px;”>The Verdict [Fake]</h2>
<p>A Wall Street Journal photograph is digitally altered to superimpose a Jewish leader&rsquo;s face onto Lincoln&rsquo;s portrait.</p>
</div>
<h3><strong>What&rsquo;s being claimed?</strong></h3>
<p>Social media users have circulated an image from the Oval Office, claiming that U.S. President Donald Trump has replaced Abraham Lincoln’s portrait with that of Jewish leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.&nbsp;</p>
<p><a title=”Schneerson” href=”https://apnews.com/article/rabbi-chabad-lubavitch-new-york-synagogue-67e2cf3e81165b4b8491ef67fb72b21f” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener”>Schneerson</a>, also known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, was the seventh leader of the <a title=”Chabad-Lubavitch movement” href=”https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/36226/jewish/About-Chabad-Lubavitch.htm” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener”>Chabad-Lubavitch movement</a>, a Jewish movement founded in 18th-century Russia.</p>
<p>The viral image shows Schneerson’s portrait on the wall accompanied by the U.S. presidential flag, the American flag, the U.S. Space Force flag, and Lincoln’s sculpture on the table.</p>
<p>An <a title=”X user” href=”https://archive.ph/7OTQu” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener”>X user</a> shared the image with the caption, &ldquo;BREAKING: Donald Trump has replaced the Abraham Lincoln portrait, painted by Edward Dalton Marchant in 1863, with a portrait of the Chabad Lubavitch Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson. THIS IS WHAT I VOTED FOR!&rdquo; At the time of writing this story, the post had garnered over 2,100 likes and 460 reposts.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Archived versions of similar posts can be found <a title=”here” href=”https://mvau.lt/media/2386b547-d014-4363-b2b6-901c9d9292a5″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener”>here</a> and <a title=”here” href=”https://archive.ph/sRtsi” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener”>here</a>.&nbsp;</p>
<figure class=”image”><img src=”https://feeds.abplive.com/onecms/images/uploaded-images/2025/03/20/583443996de20aac548dad035ab35ba91742455235699236_original.jpg” alt=”Screenshot of the social media post (Source: X/Facebook, Modified by Logically Facts)” width=”720″ />
<figcaption>Screenshot of the social media post (Source: X/Facebook, Modified by Logically Facts)</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, we found that the image is digitally altered to superimpose Schneerson’s face onto Lincoln’s portrait in the Oval Office.&nbsp;</p>
<h3><strong>What did we find?</strong></h3>
<p>A reverse image search led us to the original image published by the Wall Street Journal on its <a title=”Instagram” href=”https://www.instagram.com/wsj/p/DFGOqv2yx-b/?hl=en&amp;img_index=6″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener”>Instagram</a> account. The image, posted on January 21, 2025 (archived <a title=”here” href=”https://archive.ph/4txCZ” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener”>here</a>), is attributed to WSJ photographer Shuran Huang and clearly shows Lincoln’s portrait in the office. It was also featured in a WSJ <a title=”report” href=”https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/inside-trumps-oval-officeversion-2-0-9b1da2c8″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener”>report</a> dated January 20, 2025, that discussed the office’s redecoration after Trump’s inauguration day.&nbsp;</p>
<blockquote class=”instagram-media” style=”background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% – 2px);” data-instgrm-captioned=”” data-instgrm-permalink=”https://www.instagram.com/p/DFGOqv2yx-b/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading” data-instgrm-version=”14″>
<div style=”padding: 16px;”>
<div style=”display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;”>
<div style=”background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;”>&nbsp;</div>
<div style=”display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;”>
<div style=”background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;”>&nbsp;</div>
<div style=”background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;”>&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style=”padding: 19% 0;”>&nbsp;</div>
<div style=”display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;”>&nbsp;</div>
<div style=”padding-top: 8px;”>
<div style=”color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;”>View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<div style=”padding: 12.5% 0;”>&nbsp;</div>
<div style=”display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;”>
<div>
<div style=”background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);”>&nbsp;</div>
<div style=”background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;”>&nbsp;</div>
<div style=”background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);”>&nbsp;</div>
</div>
<div style=”margin-left: 8px;”>
<div style=”background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;”>&nbsp;</div>
<div style=”width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);”>&nbsp;</div>
</div>
<div style=”margin-left: auto;”>
<div style=”width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);”>&nbsp;</div>
<div style=”background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);”>&nbsp;</div>
<div style=”width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);”>&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style=”display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;”>
<div style=”background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;”>&nbsp;</div>
<div style=”background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;”>&nbsp;</div>
</div>
<p style=”color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;”><a style=”color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;” href=”https://www.instagram.com/p/DFGOqv2yx-b/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>A post shared by The Wall Street Journal (@wsj)</a></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>
<script src=”//www.instagram.com/embed.js” async=””></script>
</p>
<p>Upon comparing the viral image with the WSJ photograph, we found a slight overlap of Schneerson’s portrait onto the brown frame on the left side and a noticeable gap between the portrait and the frame on the right, both of which are signs of manipulation and superimposition of an image over another.&nbsp;</p>
<figure class=”image”><img src=”https://feeds.abplive.com/onecms/images/uploaded-images/2025/03/20/dbcb7ad4f1b71717237f113cc6a2da411742455353771236_original.jpg” alt=”Comparison of WSJ&rsquo;s image and viral image. (Source: Instragram/X)” width=”720″ />
<figcaption>Comparison of WSJ&rsquo;s image and viral image. (Source: Instragram/X)</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Additionally, on March 10, 2025, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino shared <a title=”recent footage” href=”https://x.com/Scavino47/status/1899161437102088449″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener”>recent footage</a> of the Oval Office (archived <a title=”here” href=”https://mvau.lt/media/2e0cd08f-0464-4a64-9e04-81f003146b75″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener”>here</a>) on his X account. At the 0:14-second mark, Lincoln&rsquo;s portrait can be seen above George Washington&rsquo;s portrait in the same location depicted in the viral image. This confirms that Lincoln&rsquo;s portrait remains in the Oval Office and has not been replaced with that of Schneerson.</p>
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”>
<p dir=”ltr” lang=”en”>BEHIND THE SCENES! President Trump added additional portraits to the Oval Office here at The People&rsquo;s House. Here&rsquo;s the latest as of this morning, enjoy🇺🇸🦅 <a href=”https://t.co/m5KPkQ40FZ”>pic.twitter.com/m5KPkQ40FZ</a></p>
&mdash; Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) <a href=”https://twitter.com/Scavino47/status/1899161437102088449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>March 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p>
<script src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” async=”” charset=”utf-8″></script>
</p>
<div class=”articleContent listSection”>
<div class=”fr-view section”>
<h3><strong>The verdict</strong></h3>
<p>U.S. President Donald Trump has not replaced Abraham Lincoln’s portrait in the Oval Office with that of Jewish leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. The viral image is digitally altered.&nbsp;</p>
<p><em><strong>[This story was originally published by <a href=”https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/fact-check/edited-image-shared-to-claim-trump-replaced-lincolns-portrait-in-oval-office” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Logically Facts</a>, as part of the Shakti Collective. Except for the headline and excerpt, this story has not been edited by ABP Live staff.]</strong></em></p>
</div>
</div>