Fact Check: Is photo of Trump wearing a bathrobe and posing on a bed real?
WASHINGTON, DC: An old photograph seemingly showing President Donald Trump lying sideways on a bed while wearing a bathrobe has been circulating online. The image is frequently accompanied by captions suggesting that it's an unfiltered glimpse of Trump’s private life.
There are speculations regarding the genuineness of the image, so let's check if there's any truth to the claims.
Claim: Viral image shows Trump lounging on a bed in a robe
Don't go Bill... she doesn't treat you like I do
— mason (@onehandpolitics) November 15, 2025
Get back in here pic.twitter.com/9B7SiKUiKE
A rumor has been circulating online since this month, which claimed an image showed a decades-old photo of then-businessman Donald Trump in a robe lying sideways on a bed.
The photo was shared on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and X (formerly Twitter). Some users also posted an image meme with the picture, claiming, "Someone pointed out that those are Strawberry Shortcake bedsheets and now I cannot unsee that."
The photo made rounds online amid votes in the US Senate and House for (and Trump himself signing off on) the release of case files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Fact Check: The photo is authentic, but the bedsheets are not tied to Strawberry Shortcake brand
The photo is authentic and was published years before the public availability of artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
A close-up examination of the pillowcases and bedding found no online matches for vintage products on reselling websites, including eBay, tied to the Strawberry Shortcake brand, which originated on greeting cards in 1973 and debuted its animated children's TV series in 1980.
The Daily Mail first published the picture on November 8, 2016, during Election Day, in an album of more than two dozen vintage photos of Trump's family, including his first wife, Ivana Trump.
Background of the photos
The Daily Mail said that the photos came from a private collector who chose to remain anonymous. According to her, she found a suitcase filled with roughly 1,000 photos and other personal items at a thrift shop in Palm Beach, Florida, sometime before 2016.
The collector reportedly suggested that Ivana or an assistant might have dropped the items off when she moved into a condo after her and Trump's divorce in 1990.
Other photos in the collection apparently show Trump changing the diaper of one of his children, Trump spending time with his children at their very young ages, Trump with his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, around Christmas time, and other moments.
