Did Antifa hang a Jeffrey Epstein banner next to Donald Trump's banner on the Department of Agriculture building in Washington? No, that's not true: Epstein's image was added with digital manipulation of a real photo of the front of the Agriculture Department headquarters next to the National Mall. The account that first shared the image said in another post that it was faked and satirical.
The claim originated in a post (archived here) published by the @PaulleyTicks account on X on May 17, 2025. The caption above the image read:
BREAKING: overnight Antifa thugs hang disparaging new banner next to Donald Trump's, on the Dept of Agriculture building.
This is what the post looked like at the time of writing:
(Source: screenshot of X.com by Lead Stories)
After numerous commenters appeared to believe the image was authentic, the @PaulleyTicks posted a follow-up (archived here) to make it clear he faked it:
Aaaaand once again people are thinkin' it's real, so let me be clear; it is NOT real, it is parody.
Thank you.
The parody was playing off the authentic hanging of a Trump banner on the building near a banner of Abraham Lincoln.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in an X post (archived here) that the Trump banner was a tribute to Trump's "rebirth" of her department's mission.
For 163 years, @USDA has helped usher in a golden age of American agriculture.
-- Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) May 15, 2025
Under @POTUS, the People's Department is being restored -- leaner, stronger, and laser focused on its mission of putting farmers first.
This isn't just a milestone -- it's a rebirth. pic.twitter.com/J5Kx8ybkc6
