Fact Check: Old photos of Trump with his daughter Ivanka have resurfaced. They're real

Claim:

Two photos shared on social media authentically showed U.S. President Donald Trump with his daughter Ivanka as a child sitting on his lap.

Rating:

For years, two photos have spread on social media that purportedly show U.S. President Donald Trump with his daughter Ivanka as a child sitting on his lap.

The photos resurfaced on social media in July 2025, as Trump's connection to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein came under new scrutiny. Critics of Trump shared the images with the sarcastic caption: "He is not weird! Why are you calling him weird?"

(Bluesky user @chomskysright.bsky.social‬)

The collage also appeared on platforms such as Threads, Pinterest, Reddit, Imgur and Know Your Meme.

In short, both photographs were authentic and indeed depicted the president and his daughter, which is why we rated this claim true.

The picture on the right of the collage was featured in a Time magazine article titled "Ivanka Trump's Life in Pictures." According to the piece, the photograph was taken by Brian Smith at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, in 1996. Its caption read: "Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka."

Smith's official website also contained the image.

(www.archive.briansmith.com)

The picture on the left of the collage was sourced from Ivanka Trump's official Instagram account. She shared the image on Dec. 12, 2013, with the caption: "Me and my dad."

https://www.instagram.com/p/h1tjodikNS/

This was not the first time Snopes fact-checked images of Trump allegedly posing with young girls. For instance, we investigated a photo showing Trump with Ivanka Trump as a child posing on a bed. We have also debunked claims an image showed Trump with Epstein and a young girl.

Sources:

Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/h1tjodikNS/. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.

Ivanka and Donald Trump Photographed at Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida | Stock Photography Miami Photographer Brian Smith. https://archive.briansmith.com/image/I0000P2b1o7PUQv0. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.

"See Ivanka Trump's Life in Photos." TIME.Com, https://time.com/ivanka-trump-pictures-photographs/. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.

Wrona, Aleksandra. "Does Pic Show Trump and Epstein with Minor Girl?" Snopes, 9 Jan. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/epstein-trump-young-girl-photo/.

---. "Donald and Ivanka Trump Were Once Photographed Like This on a Bed?" Snopes, 15 Feb. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/ivanka-donald-trump-pic/.