Claim:
An old photo authentically shows U.S. President Donald Trump with his daughter Ivanka Trump sitting on his lap.
Rating:
Rating: True
In mid-July 2025, an old photo resurfaced on social media purportedly showing U.S. President Donald Trump with his then-teenage daughter Ivanka Trump sitting on his lap at what appeared to be a social event.
The photo spread following the release of a July 7 Department of Justice (DOJ) memo stating that the department’s review found no incriminating “client list” related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and no credible evidence that he had blackmailed prominent people.
(Leah McElrath/Bluesky)
For example, on July 17, a Bluesky user posted (archived) the photo and wrote: “So many creepy pics of Trump with Ivanka exist, including this one in which it looks like she’s giving him a lap dance.”
Similar claims appeared elsewhere on X (archived) and for years had circulated on Reddit (archived and archived). The photo was shared by Trump critics alongside other images of Trump with his daughter at various points in her childhood and teenage years.
The photo was authentic and not digitally manipulated or produced using artificial intelligence (AI). Therefore we have rated this claim as true.
The photo can be found on Getty Images, where the caption states: “Dancing At Mar-A-Lago: Partygoers, including Ivanka Trump (center, in white) who her sits on her father, businessman Donald Trump’s lap during concert (by the Beach Boys).“
Getty says it was taken in 1996 at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, showing a social gathering with multiple attendees visible in the background. Trump’s second wife Marla Maples was visible seated in the front row left.
This is not the first time Snopes has fact-checked images allegedly showing Trump with his daughter. We have previously investigated other photos showing the pair in various time periods.
Sources:
United States Department of Justice. “FBI Memo.” July 2025, https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1407001/dl?inline. Accessed 24 July 2025.
Wrona, Aleksandra. “Old photos of Trump with his daughter Ivanka have resurfaced. They’re real.” Snopes, 23 July 2025. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-ivanka-lap-pic/. Accessed 24 July 2025.
