Fact Check: Is the viral photo of Sean Strickland wearing 'Trump is in the Epstein files' shirt real?
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid the controversies surrounding the Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House, an image began circulating on social media platforms claiming to show UFC star Sean Strickland wearing a T-shirt linking President Donald Trump to convicted offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Let us analyze and fact-check the image.
Claim: Sean Strickland wore a T-shirt linking Trump to Epstein
The viral image shows Sean Strickland wearing a T-shirt with the text, "Trump is in the Epstein files."
"This should be an album cover," states the caption accompanying an image posted on June 15, 2026, by an X account called 'Anonymous.'
Similar images spread on Facebook and Instagram, with Strickland wearing variations of the slogan referencing Epstein after US Park Police removed him from the event on June 14, which was organized as part of America's 250th anniversary celebrations.
While many appeared to believe the image was real, others remained skeptical and called for a fact-check.
Fact Check: The image is AI-generated
The image, however, is fake. There is no evidence that Strickland wore a T-shirt linking Trump to Epstein while being removed from the White House event.
The original image of the mixed martial arts champion being escorted away by law enforcement shows him wearing a black hoodie over a black T-shirt bearing the Monster Energy logo, along with a baseball cap. He is surrounded by officers in the photograph. Instagram posts shared by Strickland on the same day also show him wearing the same outfit.
The original image further shows his hands at his sides, not secured behind his back.
Google's SynthID Detector, a tool that identifies content generated by Google's AI tools, detected an invisible watermark indicative of a synthetic image.
An analysis using Hive Moderation, an AI detection tool, also found that the image was likely to contain AI-generated content.
Sean Strickland removed from White House event
Strickland’s attempt to attend the UFC Fan Fest at the White House ended abruptly after Secret Service agents escorted him out of the venue
The two-time UFC Middleweight Champion found himself at the center of controversy after claiming he had been banned from the historic MMA event on the South Lawn because of his comments about Trump's alleged connections to Epstein and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I may have been charged with disorderly conduct. I don’t know what that is but it sounds cool,” Strickland said on Instagram. “Anyways, I just want to thank you fans. I can’t thank you guys enough. After being banned, you guys riding, supporting me, it means a lot to me.”
