Fact Check: Debunking alleged photo of Trump on Epstein's jet with underage girls
Claim:
A photo shared online authentically depicts U.S. President Donald Trump on an airplane with underage girls.
Rating:
An image purporting to be an authentic photo of U.S. President Donald Trump aboard an airplane accompanied by five young women circulated online extensively in June 2025.
The alleged photograph was shared widely across social media platforms like Threads (archived), Facebook (archived) and BlueSky (archived), but was particularly widespread on X (archived, archived, archived).
Some users sharing the photo pondered if the airplane featured in the image belonged to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who is now deceased. Many others spreading the photo online alleged the young women present were underage.
(Facebook user Danilo Padilla Ramirez)
The image shared online purporting to show Donald Trump alongside underage girls, allegedly on Epstein's private jet, is fake. While there are authentic images of Trump alongside Epstein, plenty of false images have spread widely on the internet, including other fake photos of Trump with underage girls.
The specific image in question has been shared online since at least 2023. It appeared in posts on meme websites Imgur and 9GAG in April 2023 before spreading to social media.
In January 2024, Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo even apologized for sharing fake images of Trump with underage girls, including the one in question. The actor wrote, "Sorry Folks. Apparently these images are AI fakes. The fact Trump was on Epstein's plane and what Epstein was up to is not."
Indeed, the photograph was generated with artificial intelligence (AI). The AI-detection tool Hive Moderation reported a 99.8% chance the image was made using AI and was thoroughly debunked when it originally circulated.
While the image was debunked during its original circulation, Trump's public feud with Elon Musk, who posted on social media that Trump appeared in Epstein's files in June 2025, brought the image back to prominence and is likely to blame for the proliferation of new claims.
Snopes previously debunked fake images of Trump and Epstein with a minor as well as Trump and Epstein together on a private jet, though there have been authentic images of the pair together.
Dapcevich, Madison. "Photos of Trump Alongside Diddy, Epstein Are Real." Snopes, 6 Dec. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/photos-trump-combs-epstein/.
Esposito, Joey. "Musk Accused Trump of Being in Epstein's Files. Here Are 19 Rumors We've Looked into about the Disgraced Financier." Snopes, 5 June 2025, https://www.snopes.com//collections/trump-musk-epstein-collection/.
Fact Check: Trump, Epstein Photos With "Underage" Women NOT Authentic -- They're AI Generated | Lead Stories. 9 May 2023, https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2023/05/fact-check-old-photos-of-donald-trump-with-underage-young-women-are-not-authentic-ai-generated.html.
Liles, Jordan. "Yes, Musk Alleged Trump Appears in the Epstein Files." Snopes, 5 June 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/elon-musk-epstein-trump/.
"Mark Ruffalo Apologizes after Reposting False Images of Trump on Epstein's Plane." NBC News, https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/mark-ruffalo-apologizes-after-reposting-false-images-of-trump-on-epstein-s-plane-201646149874. Accessed 12 June 2025.
Wrona, Aleksandra. "Pic Supposedly Showing Trump, Epstein and a Minor Girl Is Fake." Snopes, 24 Aug. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/photo-epstein-trump-girl/.
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