This side by side photo comparison of Donald Trump and President Obama has been doing the rounds. It's not all that it seems.

The images show both men in the rain, but with one soldiering through, the other selfishly protecting his 'hair' with an umbrella. It's a metaphor, but that actually happened.

The post has been retweeted and liked more than 17,000 times. While this isn't huge for Twitter, it shows how quickly people are willing to parse a subject down to five words and two pictures.

Responses to it have of course been reasonable, measured, and heightened the level of debate....

Those who remember the day that former prime minister Tony Blair said 'A day like today is not a day for sound bites' and then moments later 'I feel the hand of history upon our shoulder' will recognise this doublethink in action.

So where did the two images of Trump and Obama originate?

Picture: (Loren Elliott/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

The first of Trump, was taken in Tampa, Florida on August 24 2016. The woman next to him, unprotected by the umbrella, is Florida attorney general Pam Bondi. The image taken by Loren Elliott for the Associated Press featured in a story in The Washington Times that explained the pair's prior relationship. During her 2013 re-election campaign, Bondi decided not to pursue a fraud case against 'Trump University'.

The decision was deemed shady, considering a group supporting Bondi's re-election as state Attorney General in 2013 received a $25,000 (USD) donation from Trump's foundation.

Given this context, Trump's decision not to hold an umbrella over her head is the least damning part of this photograph.

Moreover, it's part of a series of photos, and this image for the Tampa Bay Times also taken by Elliott, shows Trump and Bondi both walking beneath the umbrella.

Picture: (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Image)

The photograph of president Obama by Jewel Samad for Getty Images, was taken in April 2013 at Andrews' Air Force base as the president headed to Boston following the bombing attack that killed three people and wounded 180 others. One could argue that acting as chief mourner and figure of stability for the administration during times of crisis is part of the president's job description as the head of state, but once again the fact the politician is in the rain, is the least compelling of the stories told by this image.

For an electorate that constantly says they hate political slogans and spin, the online public are quick to share a simplistic sentiment that divides the world into the good guys and the bad guys.

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