Fact Check: Did Trump demand focus on 'young girls' who died in Texas floods instead of Epstein files?

WASHINGTON, DC: A rather wild screenshot of a supposed post by President Donald Trump has been making the rounds online.

The image claims to show a Truth Social post from Trump where he supposedly told people to forget about the Jeffrey Epstein files and “focus on the beautiful young girls” who died in the Texas floods. It also allegedly includes a not-so-subtle racist jab about “illegal Mexican peoples” and “drug dealers disguised as day laborers.”

Claim: Donald Trump urges people to forget Jeffrey Epstein files and focus on Texas floods

A viral screenshot circulating online alleges that Donald Trump posted a shocking message on Truth Social, urging the public to ignore the Jeffrey Epstein files and instead focus on the victims of the Texas floods. 

"Could you all just focus on the very many other more important things to discuss than whether or not I may or may not be all over the Epstein Files?" Trump allegedly wrote. "There was a big flood in Texas. Huge flood as it relates to water. Many people died. Many beautiful young girls. Perhaps some not so beautiful illegal Mexican peoples as well. Perhaps drug dealers disguised as day laborers. You can never tell. They don't speak American. That is very suspicious. Again, forget about me and the Epstein Files. Focus on Mexicans and flooding."

Fact Check: False, No record of Donald Trump's alleged post

Snopes did a deep dive and rated the claim false because there’s zero evidence that Donald Trump ever posted any of it. Regardless, some online users were reportedly treating the screenshot like gospel.

It's worth noting that Trump never posted this. It doesn’t appear on Truth Social or X (formerly Twitter), and there’s no trace of it on sites that archive all his official posts, including Roll Call and Trump’s Truth archive.

Snopes even broke it down piece by piece. They ran phrases like “Focus on Mexicans and flooding” and “Huge flood as it relates to water” through Google, looking for any legitimate source, and came up with nada.

Donald Trump visits Texas flood zone to offer support 

While the aforementioned quote is a falsehood, the flooding in Texas is tragically real.

The July 4 storm was catastrophic. Flash floods hit hard, especially near the Guadalupe River, which swelled to terrifying levels. According to CBS News, at least 129 people were confirmed dead, and more than 170 are still missing.

On Friday, July 11, one week after the disaster, Trump visited the flood zone to meet with first responders and families of the victims.

"I've never seen anything like it, a little narrow river that becomes a monster, and that's what happened," he told reporters. "But the first lady and I are here in Texas to express the love and support and the anguish of our entire nation in the aftermath of this really horrific and deadly flood."

Jeffrey Epstein case closure fuels conspiracy theories and unrest in MAGA circles

The reason the fake post gained traction is because MAGA circles are still reeling over the DOJ and FBI’s recent announcement that the Jeffrey Epstein case is essentially closed, concluding the late convicted sex offender had no “client list” and that his death was not a murder.

Earlier this month, the Department of Justice confirmed that Epstein — the disgraced financier and convicted s*x offender — died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on new sex trafficking charges. Investigators reported finding no evidence of foul play, no blackmail ring, and no mysterious “client list,” according to Axios.

That conclusion didn’t sit well with Trump’s MAGA base. The internet lit up with conspiracy theories and accusations of cover-ups. There are even reports of rising tension within the Trump administration, including talk of resignations over how the Epstein probe was handled.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.