Democrats share altered ‘lights out’ photo of White House on social media

Many others, including New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell, a Democrat, shared the image while claiming that Trump turned off the lights as Secret Service transported him to a basement bunker Friday amid violent protests outside the White House.

David Axelrod, a former adviser to President Barack Obama, also shared the tweet on Monday. “Perfect symbolism. If ever the country needed the occupant of the White House to shed light, and not heat, now is the time. Sadly, the lights are out,” he said.

The specific viral picture that was shared alongside the claims was not taken during the Trump presidency, and it was edited to make the mansion look darker than it normally is, according to the Associated Press.

The original image was uploaded to Getty Images’s iStock photo website on Dec. 21, 2015, though it is unclear when the photo was taken. In the photos shared on social media, it has been edited to make the portico hanging lantern and several other lights around the White House appear to be off.

The Associated Press fact check said that according to its own photos of the White House taken Sunday night, the front was “illuminated by exterior lights and the portico lantern [was] turned on” while the interior was dark.

CNN White House reporter Kaitlan Collins and others noted Monday that most of the White House exterior lights turn off late at night.

Clinton’s tweet cited Christian Christensen, a professor of journalism studies at Stockholm University, as the source of the photo. Christensen has since deleted his tweet with the original edited photo and shared a Reuters photo that showed the White House at night with most lights off, with some light on lower levels showing.

“I posted a picture of the White House ‘going dark’ that appears to have been shopped. Apologies, and deleted. Doesn’t change fact that it happened. So, here’s a Reuters photo,” Christensen said in a Monday tweet.