Did Barack and Michelle Obama visit "Epstein Island" and pose for a photo with their daughters with the iconic and blue and white striped building of Epstein Island in the background? No, that's not true: This photo has been altered to add the blue and white striped building. This old family photo, with a birthday greeting for Barack Obama, was originally shared on social media on August 4, 2020, by Michelle Obama. The place pictured has been geolocated to a point on the North Pacific Ocean on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, called Lanai Lookout, it is not Little Saint James Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean.
The altered image which has circulated for several years resurfaced in a post (archived here) by the Facebook page CONSCIOUS SOULS on December 6, 2023. It was posted with the caption:
Outta all the places to take a family photo..
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Mon Dec 11 14:11:32 2023 UTC)
The original image does not show a blue and white striped building in the distance. The photo was originally shared on Twitter and Instagram on August 4, 2020, by Michelle Obama with the caption:
Happy birthday to my favorite guy. Here's to all the good days, blue skies, and new adventures to come. 😘
(Source: Twitter screenshot taken on Mon Dec 11 16:18:28 2023 UTC)
This location was verified in a December 7, 2023, article by the Spanish fact checkers at Newtral.es. The place where the photo was taken, Lanai Lookout, has a designated scenic overlook parking area off the Kalanianaole Highway. A high-resolution public domain image showing the highway and the cliffs that appear in the background of the Obamas' photo can be found (here) from Wikimedia Commons.
(Source: Wikipedia screenshot taken on Mon Dec 11 16:18:28 2023 UTC)
A detailed 3-D rendering of the lookout can be found on Google Earth (pictured below)
(Source: Google Earth screenshot taken on Mon Dec 11 16:18:28 2023 UTC)
Lead Stories has previously debunked many false claims about Epstein Island (here) as well as false claims about Barack and Michelle Obama (here).
