Donald Trump compares young photo of himself to teenage Barack Obama

U.S. President Donald Trump has shared side-by-side images of himself and former President Barack Obama in their younger years, days after Obama suggested he continues to occupy the current president’s thoughts.

Trump posted the images on his Truth Social account on Saturday, June 27, after first sharing an AI-generated image of himself holding the Earth while carrying an American flag over his shoulder, followed by a photo from the recent UFC event held outside the White House.

The side-by-side post featured a photograph of Trump during his time at the New York Military Academy alongside an image of Obama from his college years at Occidental College, in which the former president is seen wearing a wide-brimmed hat and smoking a cigarette, a habit Obama has previously admitted struggling to quit after taking it up as a teenager.

Trump captioned the images, “D. Trump, 20” and “B.H. Obama, 18.” However, his niece and longtime critic, Mary Trump, was among those who pointed out that Trump attended the New York Military Academy as a teenager and graduated in 1964 at the age of 17.

Although Trump did not explicitly explain the purpose of the comparison, the post was widely interpreted as a response to recent remarks by Obama, who suggested the Republican president remains preoccupied with him.

Speaking on the “All the Smoke” podcast earlier this week, Obama joked that Trump’s repeated references to him years after he left office reflected an ongoing fixation. “The obsession,” Obama said. “I obviously have a room in his head. A suite in his head. First of all, when I was president, the last thing I had time to do was worry about what somebody said or my predecessor did. They’re gone. I’ve got work to do,” he added. Obama also remarked during the interview that Trump does not direct such criticism toward him in person.

The latest social media post continues a long-running public rivalry between the two leaders. Trump has frequently criticised Obama at campaign rallies and on social media and, in recent weeks, has shared AI-generated images mocking the former president, including one depicting Obama’s presidential centre as a dumpster.