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 10, 2026. It opened:
I don't know him. But he bought me this pole.
The post shared an image, and this is what that picture looked like on Threads X at the time of writing:
(Image source: post by @sarasyms on Threads.)
The image resurfaced on social media after Melania Trump issued an April 9, 2026, statement (archived here) denying being Epstein's victim or friend.
According to Google, the picture was at least two months old at the time of this writing:
(Image source: Google.)
Pole dancing is mentioned at least 37 times in the Epstein files available on the Department of Justice website. Lead Stories, however, found no evidence there confirming the authenticity of the image in question.
The earliest known version of the picture was published on Feb. 9, 2026, on Instagram, under the caption that, in part, read:
Disclaimer: Fictional image. No factual claims implied.
(Image source: post by @alisonjacksonartist on Instagram.)
Alison Jackson, whose account posted that image, describes herself (archived here) as an artist who creates "convincingly realistic photographs, films and sculpture depicting celebrities doing things in private."
Four AI detectors placed the probability of the image being AI-generated between 76% and 99.9%: the InVID-WeVerify plugin at 76%, AI or Not at 89%, Sightengine at 96%, and Hive Moderation at 99.9%.
