This Image of Hindu Priest With Donald Trump at White House Is Old

The image dates back to May 2020 and is not recent as claimed in the viral post.

Fact-Check | The image is old and is being incorrectly shared as a recent one.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Following Republican candidate Donald Trump's win in the US presidential elections, an image is doing the rounds to claim that it shows him with Pujari Harish Brahmbhatt at the White House recently.

What does the viral post say?: An X (formerly Twitter) user shared the image with a caption that said, "Harish brahmbhatt ji reciting vedic hymns at white house On invitation of Donald Trump (sic)."

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

The post had gained over four lakh views on the platform, when this report was being written. Archives of similar claims can be found here, here, and here.

What are the facts?: The image dates back to 7 May 2020, when Pujari Harish Brahmbhatt had recited the Shanti Path during the White House National Day of Prayer Service. This makes the claim misleading.

What led us to the truth?: A simple reverse image search directed us to the same visual posted on stock image website — Alamy.

• Its caption mentioned that the then President Donald Trump was seen in attendance when Pujari Harish Brahmbhatt delivered remarks during the White House National Day of Prayer Service.

• The image was posted on 7 May 2020.

The image was old and was taken in May 2020.

(Source: Alamy/Screenshot)

News report: A report published in NDTV said that Pujari Harish Brahmbhatt from the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir recited the sacred Vedic Shanti Path during the National Day of Prayer Service.

• This was done to pray for those who were affected due to the pandemic.

• The then US President Donald Trump had invited Pujari Brahmbhatt and he joined other religious leaders to offer prayers.

The report was published on 8 May 2020.

(Source: NDTV/Screenshot)

• Further, we found the live stream of the event uploaded on the official YouTube channel of USA Today.

• It was live streamed on 8 May 2020 and was shared with a title that said, "President Trump speaks at National Day of Prayer Service 2020 | USA TODAY."

• At around the 16:00 timestamp, one can see Pujari Harish Brahmbhatt talking about the impact of the pandemic and later reciting the peace prayer.

Conclusion: Evidently, the image is old and is being incorrectly shared on social media platforms as a recent one.

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