A viral post on X (formerly Twitter) claiming that United States President Donald Trump apologised to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu over accusations about Nigeria's handling of terrorism has been fact-checked and found to be false. The claim, which gained significant traction online, was based on an AI-altered image that misrepresented Trump's remarks about Iran.
How the Viral Claim Spread
The post was shared on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, by an account using the handle @OluremiTinubu. It included a screenshot of what appeared to be a news broadcast. The caption read: "BREAKING: Donald Trump apologised to President Tinubu for the unfounded accusations made over the past year. According to Trump, he 'was wrong about the Nigerian authorities' culpability regarding the current terrorism situation in the country…"
By Saturday, October 10, 2026, the post had accumulated over 108,000 views, 1,000 likes, 465 comments, 343 reposts, and 175 bookmarks on X. The rapid spread of the claim prompted a thorough fact-check by Legit.ng, which specialises in investigative journalism and public-interest reporting.
Fact-Check: Tracing the Image to Its True Source
Legit.ng conducted a reverse image search on the screenshot and discovered it traced back to a video shared on X on August 31, 2026, by World Source News. That video showed Trump speaking about the Strait of Hormuz, with no mention of Nigeria or President Tinubu.
Further searches uncovered a longer version of the same footage shared by Northeast Live, an Indian satellite news channel, on September 1, 2026. That post quoted Trump saying: "Iran is a failed nation… But that doesn't mean we will not smack them. We have the Strait of Hormuz in extremely good shape… Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. If Iran had a nuclear weapon, Israel would have been wiped out."
Reuters, Al Jazeera, Fox News, AP News, and Iran International all covered the same story in August 2026, reporting that Trump made the remarks after Iran launched missiles at two US air bases in Jordan in response to US strikes on Iran's Larak Island.
AI Detection Reveals Manipulation
When Legit.ng ran the claimant's image through AI detection tools, including AI Vigilai and a fake image detector, both flagged a high percentage of AI-generated manipulation and computer modification. This confirmed that the image had been altered to misrepresent the context of Trump's statement.
On Trump's official Truth Social account, a post from August 30, 2026, showed him describing Iran as a "failed nation," writing: "Iran is officially a Failed Nation. IT IS DEAD! They have no Navy, they have no Air Force, they have no currency, they are not paying their soldiers or police, Inflation is at 300%..."
No Nigerian or international news outlet published any report of Trump apologising to Tinubu, further undermining the credibility of the viral claim.
Verdict: Claim is False
Legit.ng also confirmed that the X account @OluremiTinubu that shared the post is not linked to Nigerian First Lady Senator Remi Tinubu. Her verified official account on X is @SenRemiTinubu.
The investigation concludes that the claim is false. The image was altered to misrepresent a statement Trump made about Iran, and no credible evidence exists that he apologised to President Tinubu on any matter. This fact-check serves as a reminder of the prevalence of AI-manipulated content on social media and the importance of verifying information before sharing.
