Fact Check: Fake footage of massive 'TACO' skywriting over Mar-a-Lago likely AI-generated
Claim:
Authentic footage from May 2025 depicts the word "TACO" spelled out in the sky above Trump's Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago.
Rating:
On May 29, 2025, footage allegedly showing the word "TACO" spelled out in contrail vapor above U.S. President Donald Trump's residence in Florida, Mar-a-Lago, circulated the internet. The video spread across multiple platforms, including X (archived), TikTok (archived), Facebook (archived), Instagram Threads (archived) and YouTube.
The first post of the video (archived) appeared on X account @SkylineReport, where it garnered more than 1 million views, as of this writing. We were unable to reach the account's owner for comment.
Investors began popularizing the term "TACO" ("Trump Always Chickens Out") to characterize claims that whenever Trump faces a market backlash, he will back down.
Although several users in the comments appeared to believe that the video was authentic, the footage was fake — and likely AI-generated.
First, Google search results of the terms "Trump," "Taco," and "above 'Mar-a-Lago'" yielded no results pertaining to the footage from any reputable news outlet. The results only related to Trump's response to reporters' questions about the term as well as unverified social media posts of the video or similar claims in question.
(Google.com)
Second, there were indications in the video itself of AI-generation. Jet engine vapor trails form letters out of condensation, but an aircraft does not appear in the video until the very end, when it spontaneously appears next to the letter "O" approximately four seconds into the video. If the video were authentic, the aircraft would be visible throughout the video.
The video shows dozens of people on the ground beneath the letters. If the footage were authentic, individual social media users would have posted their own footage. Rather, the only footage on the internet is from one angle.
The fake footage also depicts a distinctly long building beneath the letters supposedly on the Mar-a-Lago property, but Google Earth imagery of Mar-a-Lago does not appear to show any such building.
(Google Earth)
Lastly, we ran a screenshot of the video through AI-detection software Hive, and the results were 99.9% likely to be AI-generated.
(Hive.com)
Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows 'TACO' in the Sky Over Mar-a-Lago | Lead Stories. 30 May 2025, https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2025/05/fact-check-taco-sky-aircraft-mar-a-lago.html.
https://earth.google.com/web/search/Mar-a-Lago+Club,+South+Ocean+Boulevard,+Palm+Beach,+FL/@26.67680928,-80.03949849,1.64058862a,1399.21730324d,35y,0h,0t,0r/data=CiwiJgokCR8l8Mz3sTpAETg5nrijsDpAGe6e7PjwAVTAIYgdDxyZAlTAQgIIAToDCgEwQgIIAEoNCP___________wEQAA. Accessed 30 May 2025.
Jolly, Jasper. '"Trump Always Chickens out": Taco Jibe Ruffles President's Feathers'. The Guardian, 29 May 2025. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/29/trump-always-chickens-out-taco-investors-narrative.
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