Fact Check: Did Emmanuel Macron post an image of Jeffrey Epstein kissing Melania Trump?

WASHINGTON, DC: Rumors are rapidly spreading across social media linking Melania Trump to the late offender Jeffrey Epstein, despite her public denial of any connection. The latest claim alleges that French President Emmanuel Macron shared an image showing Epstein kissing Melania Trump on the cheek. But is the image authentic, and did Macron actually post it?

Claim: Emmanuel Macron posted an image showing Epstein kissing Melania Trump

After the US First Lady denied any connection to Epstein on April 9, 2026, social media users claimed that the French President mocked her by sharing an image allegedly showing Epstein kissing her.

The claim spread widely on X and Facebook through posts that included a video still and a TikTok clip citing a Spanish-language reference to 'journalist Nabil Omran' as the source. The original TikTok video is no longer available.

A Facebook account appearing to belong to Omran reportedly shared the image on April 3, along with a laughing emoji and an Arabic caption that translated to “Avenging His Dignity… #Macron Posts Photo of #Trump’s Wife with Her Lover.”

Fact Check: False, Emmanuel Macron did not share image showing Melania and Epstein

A review of French President Emmanuel Macron’s verified social media accounts shows that he did not share the image in question. French fact-checkers also confirmed this when the claim first appeared in early April. A search of reliable news sources found no reports supporting the claim, which would likely have been widely covered if it were true.

Investigations show the image originally came from a February 5 post by a political satire Facebook account named Tom Adelsbach. The creator labeled it as 'digitally altered' and a 'parody' after it began spreading as real. A reverse-image search also found a watermark reading “TOM.ADELSBACH,” linking it to the original creator, who describes himself as a meme creator who often uses AI-generated content.

The account owner later confirmed on X (under the handle @PaulleyTicks) that he created the image, responding to the viral claim that Macron had posted it. The post is part of a collection of AI-generated political memes, which the creator regularly shares and monetizes through audience tips.

The image also included a serial number similar to those used in the US Department of Justice Epstein-related document releases. While the number appeared authentic at first glance, further checks showed it does not match official DOJ records. However, a related image of Epstein does exist in publicly released files, suggesting the meme may have been altered from real material.

Therefore, the evidence shows the image was digitally edited and taken out of context, not an authentic post from Macron. Melania Trump also addressed similar viral claims, warning that false images and stories about her have circulated online for years and urging people to be cautious about misinformation.