FACT CHECK: Facebook Image Purporting To Show P. Diddy, Trump, And Epstein Is Not Authentic

Christine Sellers | Fact Check Reporter

An image shared on Facebook purports to show rapper Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, 2024 presumptive Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump, and late financier Jeffrey Epstein sitting with young girls.

Verdict: False

The claim is false. Lead Stories indicated the image is generated with artificial intelligence (AI) via an April 19 article. In addition, a media forensics and AI expert told Check Your Fact the image is inauthentic via email.

Fact Check:

Opening statements in Trump’s New York trial focusing on alleged hush money payments are set to take place Monday, according to The New York Times. Amid the trial, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear multiple cases this week, including one involving Trump’s claim of presidential immunity “for acts committed while in office,” USA Today reported.

The Facebook image purports to show Combs, Trump, and Epstein sitting with young girls. The image has been shared 2,000 times as of writing.

The claim is false, however. Lead Stories indicated the image is AI-generated via an April 19 article. According to the outlet, a previous iteration of the image showing only Trump and Epstein circulated on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, in May 2023.

Likewise, Check Your Fact performed a content detection scan using the website, “Hive Moderation.” While the results of the scan reveal the image is not likely to have been AI-generated, Business Insider reported that “even the most reliable AI image detectors can be tricked by simply adding texture to an image.” Adding texture to an image decreases the likelihood the image detector will be able to identify the image as AI-generated from 99% to 3.3%, according to the outlet.

Screenshot captured via Hive Moderation

In addition, Check Your Fact did not find the image referenced in any recent credible news reports about Combs, Trump, or Epstein. Neither Combs nor Trump have publicly commented on the image. (RELATED: Statement Announcing ‘Trump Liberty Coins Project’ Is Fake)

Combs’ Los Angeles and Miami homes were raided by federal authorities back in March following allegations linking the rapper to sex trafficking. Similarly, previously unsealed court documents detailing alleged sex abuse perpetrated by Epstein were released back in January. Though Trump’s name appears in the documents, he has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Furthermore, Dr. Walter Scheirer, a media forensics and AI expert from the University of Notre Dame told Check Your Fact the image is inauthentic via email.

“This image has likely been created using a generative AI algorithm. It contains artifacts that are commonly found in AI-generated images. The hands of P. Diddy and Epstein are badly rendered. And a number of hands/body parts that aren’t clearly attached to another person in the scene can be seen around Epstein,” Scheirer said.

Christine Sellers

Fact Check Reporter

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