Fact Check: Image of Trump and Epstein With Young Girl Is Fabricated

In late January 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice released more than 3 million files related to Jeffrey Epstein, prompting a wave of rumors and misinformation about their contents. Among the false claims circulating on social media was an image allegedly showing former President Donald Trump and Epstein receiving a foot wash from a young woman or teenage girl.

The image, which spread rapidly across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads in February, depicts Trump wearing aviator sunglasses and a white towel while sitting beside Epstein. Social media posts claimed the photograph was “From the DOJ files” related to the late financier and convicted sex offender.

However, the image is not authentic. It was created by Alison Jackson, a British artist known for producing realistic-looking but fabricated images of public figures in private scenarios. Jackson first posted the image to Facebook, TikTok, and X in November 2025, months before it was falsely attributed to the Justice Department’s Epstein files.

Jackson’s artistic practice, as described on her website, deliberately blurs the line between reality and fiction. “Jackson raises questions about how we can’t tell what is real or not anymore, and how we don’t care,” her website states. “She creates convincingly realistic photographs, films and sculpture depicting celebrities doing things in private, images that we have all imagined but never seen before, using cleverly styled lookalikes.”

A spokesperson for Jackson confirmed via email that the artist created the image, explaining that she uses “lookalikes of the public figures and makes them look realistic.” The spokesperson added that Jackson employs both traditional techniques and AI tools in her work, describing the controversial Trump-Epstein image as “a bit of both.”

Close examination reveals several telltale signs of artificial intelligence manipulation within the image. Trump’s right hand appears anatomically incorrect, with what seems to be missing fingers. The visible fingers—likely the thumb, index finger, and middle finger—show unusual proportions, with the index finger appearing longer than the middle finger and unusually thick, more resembling a thumb than a finger.

Another giveaway is the unrealistic rendering of Trump’s aviator sunglasses. Despite the image’s lighting suggesting it was taken with flash photography, the sunglasses lenses appear unnaturally pitch black without reflecting any light. Typically, aviator sunglasses would allow some visibility through the lenses or show reflections consistent with the ambient lighting.

The image’s circulation highlights the ongoing challenge of misinformation surrounding the Epstein case. Since the Justice Department began releasing files related to Epstein in December 2025, social media has been flooded with both legitimate information and fabricated content, making it increasingly difficult for the public to distinguish fact from fiction.

This incident also underscores the growing sophistication of AI-generated or manipulated images and their potential to mislead the public, particularly when associated with high-profile and politically charged cases. As digital manipulation tools become more advanced and accessible, the need for critical media literacy and fact-checking becomes increasingly important.

The false attribution of Jackson’s artistic work to official Justice Department files demonstrates how quickly misinformation can spread when it aligns with existing narratives or public curiosity about controversial figures like Trump and Epstein, whose association has been the subject of intense public interest and speculation for years.