FACT CHECK: Did Trump And Jeffrey Epstein Pose For A Picture With A Young Ivanka?

Aislinn Murphy | Assistant Managing Editor

An image shared on Facebook allegedly shows President Donald Trump, his daughter Ivanka and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein posing for a picture together.

Overlaying the picture is a quote attributed to Trump.

Verdict: False

Trump really did say the quote during a 2002 interview, but the image is an amalgamation of two pictures.

Fact Check:

Epstein was arrested on charges of sex trafficking girls as young as 14 on Saturday. The financier has been accused of luring underaged girls to his homes in Manhattan, New York, and Palm Beach, Florida, to perform sex acts, according to the indictment. He previously faced similar charges in Florida in 2008 but took a plea deal that significantly reduced his sentence.

Before the allegations came to light, Epstein had a rich and powerful circle of friends. His impressive rolodex included politicians and celebrities like Trump, former President Bill Clinton and actor Kevin Spacey.

Epstein and Trump were friends at one point, and Trump even spoke favorably of him in a New York Magazine spotlight, but they have since had a falling out, according to Trump, and the president allegedly barred Epstein from his Mar-A-Lago estate.

“I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy,” Trump told the magazine in 2002. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” This quote is accurately quoted in the meme.

Trump and Epstein have been photographed together in the past. However, this image does not show one of those instances – it actually combines two separate pictures into one doctored image.

The Daily Caller easily traced the image of Trump and a young Ivanka to Getty Images. The photograph captures their appearance at the opening of the Harley Davidson Cafe in New York City, according to the caption.

The photograph of Epstein also comes from Getty, appearing on the first page of results with the search term “Jeffrey Epstein.” He is attending a magazine launch in 2005 in the picture.

Aislinn Murphy

Assistant Managing Editor

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