Is it fake tan or fake news? When Donald Trump spotted an image of himself going viral with the hashtag #orangeface on Twitter, he wasn’t going to let it lie.
And true to form he decried the picture as ‘fake news’ – while admiring his windswept hair.
The US President had been snapped on the White House’s south lawn with his fringe blown back, exposing an orange-hued tan.
However, the darker skin did not reach as far as his hairline or ears.
Mr Trump responded by tweeting: ‘More Fake News. This was photoshopped, obviously, but the wind was strong and the hair looks good? Anything to demean!’
More Fake News. This was photoshopped, obviously, but the wind was strong and the hair looks good? Anything to demean! https://t.co/t8ptYMCYHf
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 8, 2020
The photo Mr Trump objected to was shared by William Moon, who describes himself as a White House correspondent and photographer.
Mr Moon replied: ‘This picture was never photoshopped, but used the Apple smartphone’s photo app to adjust the color of the picture.’
The apparent tan was visible in other photos but with less contrast.
Internet pranksters had their own fun with the picture, including mocking the President up in face paint as a character from the musical Cats and teasing that he had achieved the look with wood varnish.
Others tweeted that the two-tone look was a ‘stain of impeachment’.