'Time traveller' spotted in Trump and Putin photo with eerie similarity to 1959

Eagle-eyed online sleuths have noted an odd detail involving an apparent "time traveller" in photos showing meetings between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin and between Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev.

US President Trump met with despot Putin for the Alaska summit last week where he hoped to squeeze out conditions for a peace deal with the Russian President. During the meeting, where Putin issued steep demands for peace, the two leaders appeared cordial and, at times, friendly.

One photo from the meeting, shared by the US President on TruthSocial, showed Trump pointing his finger squarely at a smirking Putin's chest while an interpreter seemingly guiding the conversation between the pair.

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The snap was accompanied by another photo of then-Vice President Nixon and Soviet Union leader Khrushchev, with a similar finger pointing incident during the so-called "Kitchen Debate" in Moscow, in 1959.

While Trump appeared to highlight the similarities between his gesture and his Republican predecessor, as an apparent show of strength, eagle-eyed people online noted another similarity. At the centre of both images were interpreters who appeared strikingly similar.

The unidentified men were noted for having physical similarities including their hair, face shape and their clothes, namely a shirt, suit and tie.

X/Twitter user Carole Tahan said: "A time traveller from the Nixon/Khroutchev encounter (1959) to the Trump/Putin Alaska summit (2025). The striking resemblance of the 2 interpreters!"

Another commenter, going by the handle @polymath1959 added: "2025 upper panel - Trump vs Putin 1959 lower panel - Nixon vs Khruschev. Weird fun fact? Same interpreter in both, not aged a day!"

Body language expert Judi James also noted the similarity, telling The Mirror: "They even seem to have booked a double of the guy who stood between the leaders back then, to stand in the same spot with the same look of concern on his face, suggesting this is serious stuff."

The US pursued a strategy of containment against the Soviet Union, which resulted in Washington DC challenging the emergence of communism in multiple countries, including Vietnam, as well as assisting its enemies, such as in Afghanistan. But Trump has struck up a more positive tone with Putin that had not been seen since Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine.

Putin last enjoyed cordial relations with a Republican when George W. Bush was President. The pair met in 2001, with the former President commenting he looked into Putin's eyes and "found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy, and we had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul."

Bush also said Putin "was a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country and I appreciate very much the frank dialogue and that’s the beginning of a very constructive relationship."

Trump has had a friendly relationship with Putin and has spoken warmly about him, even appearing to favour him in talks about ending the war in Ukraine.