NYU Professor Scott Galloway Suggests Mitch McConnell Photo Is ‘Fake’

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Topline

Scott Galloway, a professor of business at New York University and co-host of the left-wing podcast “Pivot,” said on his show Tuesday he believes a photo released to quell speculation surrounding the health of Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is “fake,” though experts have agreed the photo appears to be authentic.

Galloway hosts "Pivot" with Kara Swisher. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for CNN)

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Key Facts

Galloway, who co-hosts “Pivot” with journalist Kara Swisher, said he believes the photo is “fake,” adding, “I’m part of the tinfoil,” though he did not offer evidence to support his claim.

Galloway suggested McConnell could have put down the rumors if he had
“recorded, not even a video, a ten-second voice memo,” questioning why he “can’t even do that.”

Swisher also cast doubt on the veracity of the photo, saying McConnell looks as if he had a “facelift” and that she agrees with those who have alleged the photo was altered with AI.

Conspiracy theories have proliferated online that the photo of McConnell is fake or altered by AI, prompting the Washington Post to analyze the photo’s metadata and speak with an independent digital forensics expert, both of which appeared to indicate the picture is real.

Hany Farid, a digital forensics professor at the University of California at Berkeley, told the Post there is no indication the photo was digitally altered, saying the lighting appears authentic and neither McConnell nor his wife, Elaine Chao, look suspicious.

Why Are Theories Spreading About The McConnell Photo?

Social media users, some of whom are widely followed far-right influencers, have spread theories that McConnell's photo is inauthentic. Even a sitting U.S. Senator—Ron Johnson, R-Wis.—said on the right-wing Real America’s Voice network on Monday he had “heard from a source” that it is an “older photo,” though he quickly retracted the claim. “Beware of clickbait,” Johnson wrote on X Monday night, saying he hopes McConnell “makes a full recovery and returns to the Senate.” On News Nation Tuesday morning, Johnson said he has “no idea” whether the photo is real, saying he heard a “TV host was saying it was AI.” Claims on social media the photo is fake have garnered traction despite scant evidence, including one post on X that has more than 5 million views claiming the photo of McConnell was previously “widely shared” in 2023. The Washington Post reported it found no evidence that the photo was first circulated in 2023.

What Do We Know About McConnell’s Health?

McConnell, 84, has not been seen in public for a month since he was hospitalized for a fall on June 14. He has not voted in the Senate since June 11. His office remained quiet on his condition for much of his hospital stay, fueling rumors and speculation about his health, but he released a statement Sunday saying he was hospitalized after a fall left him “briefly unconscious.” While in the hospital, he also faced a bout of pneumonia, McConnell’s office said. He “won’t be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet,” the statement says, acknowledging McConnell has “physical vulnerabilities” and the recovery process “takes time.” McConnell, who previously served as Senate Majority Leader, is retiring at the end of his term in January.

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Galloway and Swisher also acknowledged conspiracy theories have circulated following the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., though Galloway said his “theory” is that Graham, a “71-year-old male who was out of shape, traveling and under constant stress, had a heart attack and died.” Graham’s office said he died from an “aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.” Conspiracy theories have spread on social media, aided by some accounts linked to Iran and Russia, that Graham died in Kyiv, Ukraine, though there is no evidence backing up these claims. FBI Director Kash Patel’s post that the FBI is “assisting local authorities and has made every necessary resource available” also fueled speculation over Graham’s cause of death.