Fact Check: Is photo of Trump wearing a bathrobe and posing on a bed real?

The photo made rounds online amid votes in the US Senate and House for the release of case files related to Jeffrey Epstein
PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO
An old photograph seemingly showing President Donald Trump lying sideways on a bed has been circulating online amid renewed uproar regarding the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files (@onehandpolitics/X)
An old photograph seemingly showing President Donald Trump lying sideways on a bed has been circulating online amid renewed uproar regarding the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files (@onehandpolitics/X)

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



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

Examination of the pillowcases and bedding found no online matches for vintage products on reselling websites, including eBay, tied to the Strawberry Shortcake brand (Screenshot/Google)
Examination of the pillowcases and bedding found no online matches for vintage products on reselling websites, including eBay, tied to the Strawberry Shortcake brand (Screenshot/Google)

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

American real estate magnate Donald Trump with his first wife, Ivana (nee Zelnickova) at the Costume Institute Gala, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, 9th December 1985. (Photo by Tom Gates/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
American real estate magnate Donald Trump with his first wife, Ivana (nee Zelnickova), at the Costume Institute Gala, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, in December 1985 (Tom Gates/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

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.

MORE STORIES

Posts with the claim seem to have begun circulating amid uproar over Trump’s White House ballroom project
42 minutes ago
Rumor claims that former President Barack Obama took part in a 'ritualistic' event on Jeffrey Epstein’s island
2 hours ago
Social media posts included photos of John Kennedy and Hillary Clinton speaking and used sensational language to suggest a tense confrontation
23 hours ago
Rumors intensified after Donald Trump began demolishing the East Wing, as a post alleged Congress cut off his taxpayer funds during the renovation
1 day ago
The Washington Post claimed the US Coast Guard will reclassify a World War II–era extremist emblem, nooses, and other symbols as potentially divisive
1 day ago
A viral video claims Trump played football with Cristiano Ronaldo at the White House
1 day ago
Rumors claim Macy’s cancelling 2025 Thanksgiving parade because Mamdani wants to charge $10B to use Fifth Avenue
1 day ago
A viral post claimed Zohran Mamdani’s NYC mayoral win led to 640,006 homes being listed in 72 hours, stirring mixed reactions online
2 days ago
A viral post claimed Kash Patel, Elon Musk, Caitlin Clark, Stephen Colbert and Joy Behar each paid $667,000 to erase school lunch debt
2 days ago
Viral TikTok clips claiming Donald Trump plotted extreme moves to keep Epstein files hidden spread widely
2 days ago