1721 Deitz Nuutzen Painting Hoax

2024AI-generated image hoax / prankdead

Published April 6, 2026

Also known as: Deitz Nuützen Painting · Deitz Nuützen Hoax

The 1721 Deitz Nuützen Painting Hoax was a viral prank from November 2024 in which X user @boneGPT posted an AI-generated image alongside a real photograph of Donald Trump, Elon Musk, RFK Jr., and Don Jr. eating McDonald's on a private jet, claiming the fake image was a 1721 painting by an artist named "Deitz Nuützen." The name is a phonetic play on "Deez Nuts," a long-running internet joke1. Thousands of users shared the image as authentic before Newsweek debunked it, making it one of the more successful AI-generated hoaxes of 20242.

hoax memesai generated memestrump memeselon musk memesclassical art parody memes

Overview

The hoax centered on a side-by-side comparison: on one side, a real photograph of Trump, Musk, RFK Jr., and Don Jr. sharing a McDonald's meal aboard Trump Force One; on the other, an AI-generated image styled to look like an 18th-century oil painting depicting five men in nearly identical poses around a dinner table1. Two of the painted figures wear crowns, and the composition mirrors the photograph down to specific details like hand placement and seating arrangement4.

The fake artist name "Deitz Nuützen" was designed to sound vaguely Dutch or German while functioning as a phonetic "Deez Nuts" joke, a verbal prank with roots in Dr. Dre's 1992 album *The Chronic*1. The hoax exploited people's tendency to accept historical-looking content at face value, especially when it aligned with their political enthusiasm.

Origin & Background

Platform
X (Twitter)
Key People
@boneGPT
Date
2024

On November 17, 2024, Margo Martin, Donald Trump's deputy director of communications, posted a photograph to X showing Trump, Elon Musk, RFK Jr., and Donald Trump Jr. eating McDonald's aboard Trump's private plane after attending a UFC fight in New York City1. Martin captioned it "POV: walking by the cool kids table," and the image picked up over 167,000 likes and 14,000 reposts within a day4. House Speaker Mike Johnson was visible standing in the background.

The next day, November 18, X user @boneGPT reposted the photograph next to an AI-generated image and wrote: "This 1721 painting by Deitz Nuützen predicted the Trump-Elon-RFK McDonalds dinner"4. The post pulled in over 68,000 likes and 10,000 reposts within 24 hours4. Elon Musk, who owns the platform, replied with a laughing emoji1. @boneGPT's X profile described them as "founder mode // AI & America" and linked to a YouTube channel called @Vinyl_Vault that posts AI-generated videos1.

How It Spread

The hoax spread fast. On the same day as @boneGPT's post, X user @HustleBitch_ reposted the comparison images asking "How the hell did this 1721 painting by Deitz Nuützen predict the Trump-Elon-RFK McDonald's in-flight dinner???" and racked up over 77,000 likes and 11,000 reposts4. By Tuesday, the original @boneGPT post had been viewed 4.3 million times according to Newsweek1, while other outlets reported the combined reach exceeded 7.6 million views across reposts2.

Several accounts promoted the painting as genuine. On November 18, X user @clif_high quote-reposted the image, insisting it was a real painting and pointing out minor differences between the composition and the photograph as evidence of coincidence rather than fabrication4. That same day, QAnon-aligned account @Oracle_Of_Qz connected the supposed painting to Q drops, writing they were aware of the "deez nuts" angle but claimed "it is ALL STAGED to point to Q drops. The Most Influential People on the PLANET are directing us to THE Q DROPS"4.

The hoax also fooled at least one news outlet. Indian website The New Indian published an article titled "Old painting resembling Trump, Elon, RFK in-flight meal sparks viral frenzy," repeating @boneGPT's claim that the painting was a real work by Deitz Nuützen and calling the resemblance "purely coincidental"1.

On November 19, Newsweek published a fact-check that dismantled the hoax1. A Google reverse image search returned no results for the painting predating @boneGPT's post, and a search for "Deitz Nuützen" with date restrictions found zero results before November 181. Hours after the Newsweek piece went live, @boneGPT posted a screenshot of the article with the caption "they really dug around looking for Deitz Nuützen," leaning into the joke4. The post also reached 4chan's /pol/ board that day, drawing around 65 responses4.

Political commentator Mike Benz was among those who initially fell for it before realizing the artist name was a Dutch-sounding version of "Deez Nuts"3. LinkedIn users also picked up the story, with one post noting "Pretty sure they did not have hard black leather shoes like those in 1721" and pointing out the anachronistic clothing in the AI image5.

How to Use This Meme

The 1721 Deitz Nuützen Painting Hoax is a one-off prank rather than a reusable template, but its formula is straightforward. Users typically take a viral photograph of public figures, generate an AI image mimicking an old painting style with the same composition, then attribute it to a fictional artist whose name is a hidden joke. The key ingredients are a convincing art style, a plausible-sounding historical date, and a name that rewards anyone who reads it out loud. The humor works on two levels: the surface absurdity of a centuries-old painting "predicting" a modern event, and the hidden punchline for those who catch the name.

Cultural Impact

The hoax became a minor case study in AI-generated misinformation. Newsweek's debunking highlighted how easily AI art can fool people when packaged with a plausible backstory1. Multiple international outlets covered the story, with Pakistan's Express Tribune and India's The New Indian among those that reported on or fell for the claim21.

The incident also demonstrated how political enthusiasm can override skepticism. Many users who shared the image approvingly were Trump supporters who saw the "prediction" as affirming rather than questioning it6. The QAnon community's attempt to fold the hoax into their existing mythology, despite acknowledging the "deez nuts" wordplay, showed how conspiracy frameworks can absorb even obvious jokes4.

Brady Olson, a 15-year-old who registered as a presidential candidate under the name "Deez Nuts" in 2015 and polled third behind Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, added another layer of irony to the Trump connection2.

Fun Facts

The AI-generated painting includes figures wearing modern black leather dress shoes, an anachronism that several users pointed out as a giveaway15.

Elon Musk, who replied to the original post with a laughing emoji, had already posted at least two "deez nutz" memes on his own X account in 20241.

@boneGPT's YouTube channel @Vinyl_Vault exclusively posts AI-generated content, making their profile a visible clue to the hoax's nature1.

The "Deez Nuts" joke traces back to rapper Warren G's skit on Dr. Dre's 1992 album *The Chronic*, where he delivers the punchline to a woman over the phone1.

The gold bar at the base of the table in the painting exactly mirrors the photograph's layout, a detail so precise it should have been a clear sign of AI image-to-image generation1.

Frequently Asked Questions