In the wake of recent tensions between Trump and the Macrons, a false claim has surfaced online. Since April 6, a wave of Spanish-speaking social media posts has alleged that the French President "ridiculed" Trump by sharing an “image of his wife alongside Jeffrey Epstein”.
The posts feature a purported leaked image from the Epstein files appearing to show disgraced financier Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, embracing and kissing Melania Trump. One specific post, shared on X on April 8, has already amassed nearly six million views.
No publication from Macron
One of the first to circulate the rumour appears to be Egyptian journalist Nabil Omran, who posted the image in question to Facebook on April 5 with the caption, "Macron avenges his dignity."
![This image was shared by Egyptian journalist Nabil Omran on his Facebook account. “Macron avenges his dignity… He publishes a photo of Trump’s wife [...] with her lover,” the text reads.](https://s.france24.com/media/display/31f05d6e-3422-11f1-bc8a-005056a90284/w:980/Format-carr%C3%A9-1080x1080-12.png)
This image was shared by Egyptian journalist Nabil Omran on his Facebook account. “Macron avenges his dignity… He publishes a photo of Trump’s wife [...] with her lover,” the text reads. © Nabil Omran / The Observers
This is a direct reference to the controversy sparked by Donald Trump’s mockery of the Macrons on April 1. In a video posted to the White House YouTube channel – and since removed – the US president criticised Macron for failing to support the United States in its conflict with Iran.
Trump ridiculed the French president, saying, “I call up France, Macron - whose wife treats him extremely badly... he’s still recovering from the right to the jaw." This was a nod to an incident last May, where Brigitte Macron was filmed placing her hands on Macron’s face in a gesture resembling a slap as they exited the presidential plane.
On April 2, during a state visit to South Korea, the French president said that Trump's comments mocking him and his wife Brigitte were "neither elegant nor up to standards", adding that they did not "merit a response".
An altered image from the Epstein files
In reality, none of Emmanuel Macron’s official accounts shared such a photo. Furthermore, the image purportedly showing Jeffrey Epstein with Donald Trump's wife is a manipulated version of an actual photograph from the Epstein files. This was debunked as early as February 2026 by several fact-checking outlets, including the Lebanese media organisation An-Nahar.
The fake image was originally shared on February 5 by Tom Adelsbach (also known as PaulleyTicks on X), a political satire account with 100,000 followers on Facebook. It now carries a disclaimer from the author stating that the photo was "digitally altered", following instances in which it was circulated as authentic by Spanish-speaking social media users.
On the left is the image that was digitally altered by Tom Adelsbach. On the right is the original photo sourced from the Epstein files released on January 30 by the US Department of Justice. The same document number appears in the bottom-right corner of both images (outlined in red). © The Observers
The original, unedited photo can be traced using the code visible in the bottom-right corner of the satirical image. This code, beginning with "EFTA" (for the "Epstein Files Transparency Act"), is assigned to every document in the Epstein files.
A search for this specific code on the US Department of Justice website dedicated to the Epstein case leads to the authentic photograph, along with three similar shots. These images depict Epstein in the same room, embracing and attempting to kiss a woman whose identity has been obscured by a black box.
No specific context was provided for these images when they were released by US authorities on January 30. However, the documents are clearly redacted and do not show Melania Trump.
This article has been translated from the original in French.
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