Does a viral image purporting to show Jeffrey Epstein hugging Melania Trump document a real-life scene? No, that's not true: Lead Stories did not find supporting evidence that it's an authentic photo. Two AI detectors pointed to the presence of generative AI in the picture. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published on X by the…
Is a viral image purporting to show Melania Trump at the dancing pole in front of Jeffrey Epstein a real photo? No, that's not true: The image originated from an account that publishes fictitious images of celebrities. The initial post contained an additional disclaimer spelling that out. The claim reappeared in a post (archived here) published on Threads on April…
Did French President Emmanuel Macron publish a clip purporting to show Jeffrey Epstein kissing Melania Trump? No, that's not true: Neither his social media accounts nor news reports confirmed that. The video consisted of a digitally modified photo taken from the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice DOJ, altered to insert Melania Trump's face. The claim appeared in…
Did CNN rely on an unnamed "fake news site from Nigeria" to report on Iran's ceasefire statements on April 7, 2026, as U.S. President Donald Trump claimed? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no evidence that CNN relied on a Nigerian website. The initial CNN report said that the statement attributed directly to the Supreme National Security Council was…
Does a photo show President Donald Trump sitting with the Easter Bunny in the Situation Room at the White House in April 2026? No, that's not true: The image is a digital fabrication that adds a person in a full-body bunny costume, seated in a chair, to an official White House photo and includes an AI watermark. The original version…
Did First Lady Melania Trump make a public statement defending President Trump, saying "what is happening to my husband goes far beyond ordinary criticism"? No, that's not true: The claim bears the hallmarks of so-called "Viet Spam" campaigns of nearly identical made-up clickbait stories, each featuring a different famous person, created to drive traffic to web pages based overseas, often…
Did a microphone at a press briefing catch the audible sound of a fart from Pete Hegseth, the secretary of war? No, that's not true: The press briefing clip published by the Iranian Embassy in Kenya has been edited to include a fart sound effect. The original video published on Instagram on March 13, 2026, the day of the press…
Does a viral video prove that a man in traditional clothes once walked holding hands with his underage wife in a public space in Plano, Texas? No, that's not true: Beyond the narrator's allegations, the video contains nothing confirming a marital relationship between the two. The local police department told Lead Stories it had received no official reports of child…
Does a viral screenshot deliver a real extract from Michael Wolff's book about U.S. President Donald Trump demanding a "gorilla channel" in the White House? No, that's not true: It's an old joke that first emerged in January 2018 as a response to the revelations in Michael Wolff's 'Fire and Fury.' Lead Stories confirmed that the book contains no mention…
Does a viral video on social media prove that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi publicly said she no longer wants to "set foot in the United States again" after Trump's Pearl Harbor comment, made in her presence? No, that's not true: The viral clip appeared to use AI-generated audio to create the illusion that she said what she never did.…
Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet.
Spotted something? Let us know!.
