Claim:
An image authentically shows a decades-old photo of then-businessman and future U.S. President Donald Trump in a robe lying across a bed.
Rating:
A rumor that circulated online in November 2025 claimed an image showed a decades-old photo of then-businessman and future U.S. President Donald Trump in a robe lying sideways on a bed.
Snopes readers asked about this matter, with one user emailing, “Is the picture of Trump laying on a bed in a white robe real?”
Users shared the alleged photo on Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived), Threads (archived) and X (archived). Some users also posted an image meme with the picture, claiming, “Someone pointed out that those are Strawberry Shortcake bedsheets and now I cannot unsee that.” A Snopes reader emailed with the Strawberry Shortcake question, as well.
In short, the photo was authentic and was published years before the public availability of artificial-intelligence (AI) tools. A close-up examination of the pillowcases and bedding found no online matches for vintage products on eBay or other reselling websites tied to the Strawberry Shortcake brand, which originated on greeting cards in 1973 and debuted its animated children’s TV series in 1980.
The British tabloid The Daily Mail first published the picture on Nov. 8, 2016 — Election Day — in an album of more than two dozen vintage photos of Trump’s family, including his first wife, Ivana. They described the picture as follows: “One photo in the collection has a sexy looking young Trump shirtless and in a white terry cloth robe seated, as well as sprawled across a bed, in a very Burt Reynolds, ‘Cosmopolitan’ magazine-type pose, showing exposed legs.” The photo’s location and year were not included in the description.
Stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt tweeted (archived) a joke in one of the more popular postings of the photo on the same day as its publishing.
The Daily Mail article credited an anonymous collector with providing the picture, who said that in an unspecified year prior to 2016 she happened upon the suitcase of roughly 1,000 photos and other personal items at a thrift shop in Palm Beach, Florida. The tabloid added of the collector, referencing Trump’s 1990 divorce, “She suspects that Ivana or an assistant brought the items into the shop when she downsized to a condo.”
Other photos in the collection allegedly showed Trump changing the diaper of one of his children, Trump spending time with his children at their very young ages, Trump with his mother, Mary, around Christmastime and other moments.
Regarding The Daily Mail, in 2017, Wikipedia editors banned the tabloid from being used as a source, calling their reporting “generally unreliable.” In this case, the collection of published pictures — including an image of the suitcase itself containing the roughly 1,000 pictures — substantiated the in-question photo as authentic.
Trump photo circulates amid Epstein files bill signing
The vintage photo of Trump wearing a bathrobe made the rounds online amid votes in the U.S. Senate and House for (and Trump himself signing off on) the release of case files related to the late, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Associated Press reported Trump could have chosen to release many of the files on his own months before.
In a June 2024 interview with Fox News — months prior to his November reelection victory — Trump said (35:19) he would declassify files related to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy. Then, when asked if he would declassify the Epstein files, Trump answered, in part, “Yeah, yeah, I would. I guess I would. I think that, less so, because, you know, you don’t want to affect people’s lives if it’s phony stuff in there because it’s a lot of phony stuff with that whole world. But I think I would.”
Fox News initially edited Trump’s answer about the Epstein files for broadcast on the cable news network on June 2, only airing his first mention of “yeah,” then skipping to a different question. The network then broadcast the longer answer on the following day.
Months later, in a September 2024 interview with podcaster Lex Fridman, Trump said (44:15) of Epstein, in part, “I never went to his island, fortunately.” He also said he’d “be inclined” to release the Epstein files, adding, “I’d have no problem with it.”
In past years, users shared authentic photos of Trump posing with Epstein and Epstein’s confidant, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as a video showing Trump and Epstein chatting at a 1992 party while watching a group of women dance.
In 2002, Trump told New York Magazine he considered Epstein a “terrific guy,” adding: “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
As of this writing, the Epstein files had not yet been released, and no available credible evidence tied Trump to Epstein’s sex crimes.
Some Epstein documents and emails released
Days before Trump signed the bill to release the Epstein files, on Nov. 12, the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform made public around 23,000 documents related to Epstein after receiving them from his estate.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee also released three emails, including one saying Trump “knew about the girls.” One of the other emails from Epstein to Maxwell said Trump “spent hours” at Epstein’s house with a sex-trafficking victim.
Regarding the Democratic-released emails, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Snopes by email, in part, “The Democrats selectively leaked emails to the liberal media to create a fake narrative to smear President Trump.”
One of the emails featured Mark Epstein, Jeffrey Epstein’s brother, sending a message suggesting Jeffrey Epstein ask former White House adviser Steve Bannon “if Putin has the photos of Trump blowing Bubba,” referencing oral sex.
Some users suggested “Bubba” was referring to former President Bill Clinton. On Nov. 16, The Advocate reported Mark Epstein responded to the rumor: “For the avoidance of doubt, the reference to ‘Bubba’ in this correspondence is not, in any way, a reference to former President Bill Clinton.”
For further reading, we previously reported about numerous fake images and videos claiming to show Trump with Epstein and young girls.
Sources
“1980s Series.” Fandom.Com, Strawberry Shortcake Wiki, https://strawberryshortcake.fandom.com/wiki/1980s_Series.
“1992 Tape Of Trump And Epstein – The Day That Was | MSNBC.” YouTube, MS NOW, 18 July 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_Xm26DikxE.
“About.” Strawberry Shortcake, https://www.strawberryshortcake.com/about.
“Donald Trump Interview | Lex Fridman Podcast #442.” YouTube, Lex Fridman, 3 Sept. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCbfTN-caFI.
Esposito, Joey. “Epstein Email Called Trump the ‘dog That Hasn’t Barked,’ Claimed He ‘Spent Hours’ with Victim.” Snopes, 13 Nov. 2025, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-epstein-email-dog-that-hasnt-barked/.
———. “Epstein’s Brother Sent Email about Trump ‘blowing’ Someone Named ‘Bubba.'” Snopes, 14 Nov. 2025, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/epstein-bubba-trump-blowing/.
“EXCLUSIVE Full Interview with Former President Donald Trump! | Will Cain Show.” YouTube, Fox News, 3 June 2024, https://www.youtube.com/live/HVKRNcQUbRY.
Gerstein, Josh. “Donald and Ivana Trump Fight Unsealing of Divorce Records.” Politico, 13 Sept. 2016, https://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/donald-trump-ivana-divorce-records-228119.
Hartlein, Robert E. “Extraordinary Intimate Family Photos Show the Soft Side of Trump.” Mail Online, 8 Nov. 2016, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/~/article-3913524/index.html.
Jackson, Jasper. “Wikipedia Bans Daily Mail as ‘unreliable’ Source.” The Guardian, 8 Feb. 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/feb/08/wikipedia-bans-daily-mail-as-unreliable-source-for-website. Technology.
Kim, Seung Min. “Trump Signs Bill to Release Jeffrey Epstein Case Files after Fighting It for Months.” The Associated Press, 19 Nov. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-4872c23a3ed03bf3d4c526581d3aed59.
Liles, Jordan. “Did Trump Once Say Jeffrey Epstein Was a ‘Terrific Guy’ Who ‘Likes Beautiful Women as Much as I Do’?” Snopes, 21 Dec. 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-epstein-terrific-guy/.
Loe, Megan. “House Oversight Committee Released Epstein Email Alleging Trump ‘Knew about the Girls.'” Snopes, 13 Nov. 2025, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/epstein-email-trump-knew-girls/.
PerryCook, Taija. “Is This Photo of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Real?” Snopes, 21 Dec. 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/real-photo-trump-epstein/.
———. “Real 1997 Photo of Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Together?” Snopes, 22 July 2024, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/1997-photo-trump-epstein/.
“Roll Call Factba.se – Interview: Donald Trump Sits for a Prerecorded Interview with Fox and Friends Weekend – June 2, 2024.” Roll Call Factba.se, 2 June 2024, https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-interview-fox-friends-weekend-cain-hegseth-campos-duffy-june-2-2024.
Sisak, Michael R., and Eric Tucker. “Epstein Email Says Trump ‘knew about the Girls’ as White House Calls Its Release a Democratic Smear.” The Associated Press, 12 Nov. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/epstein-emails-trump-house-democrats-db7df1042a73e610fb5deddf2f90bd3a.
“TV News Archive.” Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/tv.
“US Court Upholds British Socialite Ghislaine Maxwell’s Sex Trafficking Conviction.” The Associated Press, 17 Sept. 2024, https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-sex-trafficking-conviction-2e090610b579c8313bea7c31174ae0c4.
Wiggins, Christopher. “Mark Epstein Clarifies ‘Bubba’ Oral Sex Email Naming Trump.” The Advocate, 16 Nov. 2025, https://www.advocate.com/politics/mark-epstein-bubba-not-clinton.
