Photo shows Melania Trump, but it wasn’t captured on Epstein’s plane
Claim:
One photo originally shows future United States First Lady Melania Trump and then Melania Knauss posing partially nude to model for pictures on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s plane.
Evaluation:
Rating: Wrongly written
Throughout November 2025, a meme circulated online allegedly featuring a very old photo of future United States First Lady Melania Trump, and later Melania Knauss, posing partially nude for modeling on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s plane.
Multiple Facebook users sent the image (archived, archived), “Fun fact: This famous photo of First Lady Melania Trump was taken on Jeffrey Epstein’s plane.”
(Facebook user Adrienne Davie)
breast appeared elsewhere Facebook (archived) and on blue sky (archived), instagram (archived), TikTok (archived) and (archived).
Snopes received questions about this rumor via email and a reader’s post. Snopes Tips Facebook group“Is this Melania? Was she on Epstein’s plane?”
In short, users shared a real Melania Trump photo, but the captions were false, so we considered this claim false. The photo was real and not altered by artificial intelligence or other image editing software. The January 2000 issue of GQ magazine cited photographer Antoine Verglas, who took photographs of President Donald Trump. old Boeing 727 – It’s not a plane belonging to Epstein.
We contacted the First Lady’s and Verglas’ spokespersons to ask about this. We will update this article if we receive more information.
GQ republished the photos in 2016
November 8, 2016 – Date of Donald Trump’s first Election Day victory – GQ reported We talk once again about the photoshoot for the January 2000 issue; We also note where Verglas shot these images:
Sixteen years ago we profiled Donald Trump’s then-girlfriend, Melania Knauss. Now his wife, Melania, was featured in our nude profile shots in her customized Boeing 727, handcuffed, wearing diamonds and holding a chrome gun (this was lads’ magic, after all). Given Donald Trump’s success in the US elections, some interesting reading could be made today…
[…]
After digging into the archives and posting the footage online in March 2016, GQ editor Dylan Jones said, “We were bombarded with requests to shoot Melania,” when asked about our shoot with Melania Trump in January 2000. “Given that he was so keen to appear in GQ, we prepared quite the kitsch and camp story for him to appear in.” Donald Trump also requested that the photos be delivered to his office. “We framed the cover and a selection of prints and shipped them as quickly as possible.”
Hosted by WorthPoint antique, art and collectibles archiving company images A photo of the original print edition of GQ’s January 2000 issue, including an image showing a photo caption that noted Trump’s Boeing 727 as the shooting location.
Melania Trump defends her modeling photos
Melania Trump in September 2024 – before her release moment“Melania” — shared a post expression (archived) on social media to defend her n*de modeling photos. The statement included the following statements:
Melania Trump talks about her nude modeling work:
“Why do I stand proudly behind my modeling work? The more pressing question is: Why has the media chosen to scrutinize my celebration of the human form in a fashion photo shoot? Can we no longer appreciate the beauty of the human body? Throughout history, master artists have respected the human form, evoking deep emotion and fascination. We must honor our bodies and embrace the timeless tradition of using art as a powerful tool of self-expression.”
He also shared a post video (archived) reads the words in the expression:
For further reading, we previously reported on a rumor that Melania Trump was working as an escort before meeting Donald Trump at a party hosted by Epstein confidant and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
Sources:
Clough, Alexandra. “What Happened to Donald Trump’s Old Plane?” Palm Beach Post20 June 2011, https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/politics/2011/06/20/what-happened-to-donald-trump/7271008007/.
GQ. “Melania Trump – First Lady of Our Nude Photo Shoot.” British GQ8 November 2016, https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/donald-trump-melania-trump-knauss-first-lady-erections.
Mahdawi, Arwa. “A Melania Trump Memoir Is Released — and She’s Acting Pretty Weird.” GuardSeptember 17, 2024. Opinion. Guard, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/sep/17/melania-trump-memoir-coming-out-acting-pretty-strangely.
“Melania Trump British GQ January 2000.” WorthPoint, https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/melania-trump-british-gq-january-2000-1852527001.
@MELANIATRUMP. “Melania Trump Talks About Her Nude Modeling Work…” XSeptember 18, 2024, https://x.com/MELANIAJTRUMP/status/1836382235236212768.
Rogers, Katie. “Melania Trump Defends Nude Modeling Work While Promoting Book.” New York TimesSeptember 18, 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/18/us/politics/melania-trump-nude-modeling.html.
