1721 Deitz Nuutzen Painting Hoax
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.
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.
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.
Origin & Background
How It Spread
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
Fun Facts
The AI-generated painting includes figures wearing modern black leather dress shoes, an anachronism that several users pointed out as a giveaway.
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 2024.
@boneGPT's YouTube channel @Vinyl_Vault exclusively posts AI-generated content, making their profile a visible clue to the hoax's nature.
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 phone.
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 generation.
Frequently Asked Questions
References (6)
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