Where are the fact-checkers? The Washington Post's fact-checker took a buyout, CNN's Daniel Dale is nowhere to be found, but USA Today has stepped up to the plate to straighten things out about a viral fake quote that originated at a satire site. No, White House Press Secretary did not really say that the Donald Trump in the Epstein emails is a different Donald Trump.
Yes … she really did say this pic.twitter.com/8OfnDrEZVi
— Tony Shepherd (@TonyShepherd4) November 15, 2025
There's a Community Note:
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
No ... she really didn't say this
Dude, you're pathological.
— JimmyB 🇺🇸 (@MOTT7) November 17, 2025
She actually never said this… but I guess keep spreading misinformation
— MarzBus𝕏 (@Ryan_Turner_01) November 17, 2025
You are a imbecile. You know this is not a real quote.
— Kate (@kate_p45) November 17, 2025
Then why didn't you post the video of her "really saying this"
— FreedomHealth (@LaughlandMorgan) November 16, 2025
No … she didn’t.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 17, 2025
You are a weapons grade moron. https://t.co/R5erclr7Qs
USA Today reports:
A headline from a UK spoof and satire website widely shared on social media says the White House responded by saying Epstein was talking about a different Trump. But that is not how the White House responded to the email release. Here is what they did say:
Shortly after the emails were published, the White House issued an emailed statement, in which White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, the "selectively leaked emails ... create a fake narrative to smear President Trump."
…
UK spoof and satire site NewsThump posted an article with the headline, "'Jeffrey Epstein was talking about a different Donald Trump' insists White House," that was widely shared on social media. The photo of Leavitt used in the article was not from the Nov. 12 press briefing.
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People are actually buying it:
The best one I heard was from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, “it was a different Donald Trump!”
— Rosie E 🌹♊️ (@aRosieworld) November 17, 2025
Karoline is once again correcting herself again:
— Behrooz. (@BTadghighi) November 17, 2025
It was a different Donald Trump 😂
How ridiculous. Trump’s name is all over the recently published emails. He’s been trying to keep it quiet for years. His press secretary claims there’s a different Donald Trump involved…so much bullshit.
— Stuart White (@StuWhiteMusic) November 17, 2025
So much, indeed.
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