claim:
Two photos shared on social media actually show US President Donald Trump with his daughter Ivanka sitting on his lap as a child.
grade:
Rating: True
A collage of two photos showing US President Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka Trump sitting on his lap as a child has appeared regularly on social media.
For example, in March 2026, an X post (archived) was titled “This is not how dads hold their daughters.”
(X user @AndrewTradesNQ)
Over the years, the collage has appeared on social media platforms including Threads, Pinterest, Reddit, X, Imgur and Know Your Meme.
In short, both photos are real and do depict the president and his daughter, which is why we believe this claim to be true.
Source of photo
The photo on the right side of the collage appeared in a Time magazine article titled “Life in Photos of Ivanka Trump.” The article said the photo was taken by Brian Smith in 1996 at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. The photo’s caption read: “Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka.”
Smith’s official website also includes this photo, along with four other photos of the pair in slightly different poses.
(briansmith.com)
The image on the left of the collage is from Ivanka Trump’s official Instagram account. She shared the photo on December 12, 2013, with the caption, “Me and my dad.”
This is not the first time Snopes has fact-checked photos of Trump allegedly posing with Ivanka or other young girls. For example, we investigated a photo of Trump and Ivanka posing in bed as children. We also debunked claims of a photo of Trump with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and a young girl.
Source:
Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/h1tjodikNS/. Accessed: August 28, 2024.
Ivanka and Donald Trump pose at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida | Stock Photography Miami photographer Brian Smith. https://archive.briansmith.com/image/I0000P2b1o7PUQv0. Accessed: August 28, 2024.
“Get to know Ivanka Trump’s life in photos.” TIME.Com, https://time.com/ivanka-trump-pictures-photographs/. Accessed: August 28, 2024.
Warner, Alexandra. “Is that photo of Trump and Epstein with a little girl?” Snopes, January 9, 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/epstein-trump-young-girl-photo/.
—. “Donald and Ivanka Trump were ever photographed in bed like this?” Snopes, February 15, 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/ivanka-donald-trump-pic/.