Donald Trump was caught in a little white lie, according to some folks on social media, thanks to his Nov. 2024 meeting with Joe Biden at the White House. As tradition dictates, the sitting president met with the president-elect to discuss the upcoming transfer of power when Trump gets inaugurated.
Most pictures from the meeting see the opposing leaders sitting across from each other in the Oval Office. From that perspective, it’s hard to compare their height. Unfortunately for the Republican, a later snap of them walking together side by side has called his claim of being six foot and three inches tall into question. Some people have accused him of outright lying about how tall he is, which would be a Trump thing to do.
A photo can be deceptive, however. Perspective can trick you, and as a result, photos can not be trusted when determining the size of objects or people. An example would be all those tourist photos where the person poses next to the leaning tower of pizza. Forced perspective is used to give the illusion the person is holding up the tower.
That being said, another photo of them next to each other, one where Trump is standing a little closer in distance to the lens than Biden seems to be, has caused further skepticism Trump is three inches taller than Biden, who is said to be six feet tall.
The answer to this mystery might actually lie in Biden’s footwear. Zoomed-in photos of his feet on the day in question show he is working with a little platform. Eyebrows were raised back in Mar. 2024 when he was seen wearing orthopedic “lifestyle sneakers,” with outlets reporting they were being used due to Biden’s trips and falls. A wider sole helps with balance, preventing injury.
Determining Trump’s actual height should be as easy as a Google search. After all, his height and weight were recorded at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta in Aug. 2023 when he surrendered himself for booking. His height was declared six foot and three inches, according to the Washington Post. End, of story, right? Right…
His weight on that day was recorded as 30 pounds lighter than it was at his latest White House physical, which seems like an extreme differential. Additionally, his co-defendants who were also booked claim many of the statistics were wrong.
David Shafer, the former state GOP chairman charged in connection to attempts to reverse the 2020 presidential election, was listed as five foot five inches tall, with black hair and blue eyes. Photos of Shafer, however, clearly show gray hair, brown eyes, and a seemingly taller stature.
The Washington Post also reported that jail records initially listed Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani at five foot nine inches and 180 pounds. But later the same day the numbers had changed without explanation to five foot 11 inches and 230 pounds.
In conclusion, these faked height theories don’t have much evidence. Trump does look to be a hair taller than Biden. But really, all we have to go on is his word. And we know how trustworthy that is.