President Donald Trump’s relationship with his phone has always been a source of fascination and concern, from his prolific social media habits to his willingness to answer calls from unknown numbers.
But it’s what greets him every time he picks up his device that has captured the internet’s attention once again, confirming what many already suspected about the 47th president’s most enduring relationship: the one with himself.
One piece of minutiae about Trump is that he has a photograph of himself looking directly at the camera and pointing as his iPhone’s wallpaper. This revelation has sparked a wave of social media commentary, despite the discovery itself not being entirely new.
What’s remarkable is how this particular detail has managed to surface repeatedly over the years, each time generating renewed discussion about the president’s well-documented self-regard.
The image in question dates back to July 19, 2019, captured by Getty Images photographer Chip Somodevilla during Trump’s departure from the South Lawn of the White House.
Trump was heading to New Jersey for a fundraising dinner at his Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, striking a pose reminiscent of Uncle Sam on a World War II recruiting poster as he pointed confidently toward the camera lens.
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This wasn’t a fleeting choice or accidental screenshot.
The wallpaper has shown remarkable staying power, first spotted in a 2023 video of Trump golfing, where his phone screen was clearly visible.
The consistency suggests this isn’t a rotating selection of images but a deliberate, sustained choice that has accompanied the president through multiple phases of his post-presidency and return to office.
According to Gizmodo, the wallpaper gained renewed attention in 2024 after photos were shared by the YouTube personalities known as the Nelk Boys, who were hosted aboard Trump Force One as part of his outreach to young male voters.
Aaron Steinberg, known as Steiny within the group, posted an image showing Trump’s iPhone sitting face-up on a table, the familiar pointing pose clearly visible on the lock screen as Trump signed Make America Great Again hats for the content creators.
Another sighting occurred in early October when Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt posted a Facebook photo during his travels with Trump to Butler, Pennsylvania.
Schmitt unwittingly provided another glimpse of the president’s chosen wallpaper during their trip to the site of Trump’s previous assassination attempt.
The timing of these various revelations adds layers of context to the choice. The original 2019 photograph was taken during the height of Trump’s family separation policy for migrants at the border, a period when his administration was arguing in court that detained children didn’t require soap, toothpaste, or proper sleeping accommodations. Yet Trump has maintained this image through his presidency’s end, his legal battles, his campaigns, and now his return to office.
Mental health professionals and political observers have long pointed to Trump’s behavior as evidence of narcissistic tendencies, and this lock screen selection seems to provide the most literal possible confirmation of such assessments. After all, Trump has five children and eleven grandchildren, plus his wife Melania, a former model, any of whom might traditionally occupy that coveted space on a family patriarch’s phone.
The revelation has generated predictably mixed reactions online. When Harry Sisson shared the discovery on Instagram this spring, his followers didn’t hold back with their assessments.
“He loves himself more than anyone else,” one person observed, while another responded, “Are we seriously surprised by this haha.”
The commentary ranged from mocking to defensive, with social media users calling him “self-absorbed” and joking, “I bet he likes his own posts too.”
Not everyone found the choice problematic, however.
“What’s wrong with having yourself as your Lock Screen? It’s your phone,” one defender argued.
Another took a more personal approach, stating, “It’s normal, my phone screen is a picture of me in a football uniform, pointing at the camera.”
The contrast in reactions reflects broader divisions in how Trump’s behavior is perceived and interpreted. To his critics, the wallpaper represents the ultimate expression of self-obsession from someone who should be focused on serving others. To his supporters, it’s simply a personal choice that doesn’t warrant scrutiny.
What remains consistent across all these sightings is Trump’s apparent comfort with this very public display of self-regard.
Unlike other celebrities who have faced similar lock screen scrutiny, Trump hasn’t changed his wallpaper despite multiple exposures, suggesting either complete indifference to the criticism or unawareness of the attention it generates.
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