Republicans Use Stock Images and South American Police as Proof Oregon Is Under Duress

The Oregon Republican Party faced widespread criticism after posting a fabricated image on social media that falsely depicted violent protests in Portland, Oregon. The image, used to support President Trump’s claim that the city was “burning to the ground,” was later revealed to be a composite of unrelated photos taken years apart in South America.

The post, which appeared on the party’s official Facebook, Instagram, and X (Twitter) accounts, was published shortly after a federal judge blocked Trump’s attempt to deploy California National Guard troops to Portland. The accompanying caption praised Trump’s leadership for “restoring law and order,” while implying Oregon officials were failing to control chaos in the streets.

However, closer inspection by journalists showed that the photo was digitally fabricated:

The riot police shown in the image were from a 2008 Getty Images photo labeled “South American riot police,” identifiable by shields marked with the word “Policia.”
The crowd holding red flares came from a 2017 image uploaded to Pexels by a Brazilian photographer, depicting a protest in São Paulo.
The Oregon GOP’s post had merged the two photos to create the illusion of large-scale violent unrest in Portland.

When confronted online, the Oregon Republican Party responded dismissively, saying: “We’re not reporters, just bad memers.”

The fabricated post quickly drew condemnation from journalists, state officials, and fact-checkers, who called it an example of disinformation tactics used to stoke fear and justify heavy-handed law enforcement measures.

Main Points

The Oregon GOP shared a fake protest image claiming to show Portland in chaos.
The photo was traced to South American sources — Ecuador and Brazil — not Oregon.
The post coincided with political efforts to deploy National Guard troops to the state.
When challenged, the party dismissed the error rather than issuing an apology.
The incident underscores the increasing use of digital misinformation in U.S. politics.

Broader Context and Irony

The event highlights a recurring irony in modern U.S. politics — especially within factions that decry “fake news.” While Oregon Republicans accused the media of bias and misinformation, they themselves spread disinformation using fabricated visuals.

This episode mirrors other cases where political groups have used or amplified misleading imagery to support ideological narratives. For example:

2020: Misattributed images of European protests were circulated as “BLM riots” in U.S. cities.
2024: Campaign-linked PACs used AI-generated border images to exaggerate migrant “invasions.”
2025: Multiple state-level officials have been warned by the Federal Election Commission about misrepresenting news content online.

The hypocrisy lies in the selective outrage over misinformation — condemning it when politically inconvenient, but weaponizing it when expedient.

Projections

Potential Positive Outcomes (Pro):

Prompts public awareness about AI and digital photo manipulation.
May encourage stricter social media verification and labeling policies.
Highlights the need for media literacy education.

Potential Negative Outcomes (Con):

Reinforces public cynicism toward all political communication.
Normalizes “meme-based propaganda” as acceptable political messaging.
Undermines legitimate discourse about civil unrest and government action.