Investigating alleged photo of Melania Trump, Ghislaine Maxwell and unidentified girls

In late January 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice released more than 3 million files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In the days after the release, numerous social media users shared an image purportedly from the files claiming to show first lady Melania Trump posing alongside Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell and three other women or girls whose identities were redacted. 

One post stated, "The first girl to the left is actually Melania, the First Lady of the United States with a group of other Eastern European girls imported by Epstein for wealthy Americans."

(X user @drhossamsamy65)

Snopes found no evidence of such a photograph in the documents the DOJ released as of early February 2026. Mainstream media outlets have also not published or authenticated such an image. 

Because we have not found definitive proof that the image was AI-generated or otherwise fabricated, we've refrained from rating the claim. 

We began searching for the image in question by combing through the Epstein files made available by the DOJ. We found no such image in the files. 

We also analyzed the image using artificial intelligence detection tools. Hive Moderation and Sight Engine determined it was unlikely to be AI-generated. Zero-GPT found a small likelihood that the image was digitally edited in some way. (Research shows AI-detection software is imperfect and readers should consider the tools' results with skepticism.)

It is possible that someone edited Melania Trump's head onto another body. Additionally, the redacted women's arms have markedly different color shades than their chins and foreheads, suggesting the bodies may have been digitally edited. 

A reverse image search found no credible sources sharing the purported photograph. The highest-quality version of the image appeared on Jan. 30 as part of a thumbnail for a YouTube video titled "Melania's email is in the Epstein files and it's bad.." The YouTuber who created the video, Keith Edwards, has a history of using AI-generated images, some of which we've fact-checked before, in videos and social media posts. We have reached out to Edwards to learn more about the image allegedly showing Melania Trump with Maxwell and will update this post accordingly.

(YouTube user Keith Edwards)

A label on the purported Polaroid photo in the screenshot read "Mar-a-Lago '98." We found no authenticated photographs of Melania Trump with Maxwell in Mar-a-Lago in 1998. However, several photographs on Getty Images show Melania Trump posing with Maxwell at fashion shows in September 2000 and November 2002, and with Epstein and Maxwell at Mar-a-Lago in February 2000. 

Snopes has fact-checked numerous images of Maxwell and Epstein with prominent people, including real and fake images of the disgraced financier alongside President Donald Trump and a fake image alongside British politician Nigel Farage. We have also fact-checked a real image of Maxwell with billionaire Elon Musk, among other claims.