California Governor Gavin Newsom’s team turned what was supposed to be a comeback for Donald and Melania Trump into the spotlight into an Epstein-related roast.
The White House shared a photograph of Trump and Melania walking hand in hand after signing an executive order at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The post was seemingly meant to show romance, stability, and a refreshed public image. However, Newsom’s press office quickly retweeted the image with a twist.
Next to the official White House photo, they included a picture of Trump smiling with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. They added the caption: “The internet knows who the real power couple is.
Melania’s return to the White House publicity scene gave Newsom the opening he needed. Her appearance was meant to be a public show of support for her husband, but Newsom’s press office turned it into a commentary. By reposting the White House’s romantic snapshot next to the Epstein image.
Trump has long wanted to distance himself from his ties to Epstein. In 2002, he said, “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy.” He added, “He likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” Later, when Epstein faced charges of sex trafficking minors, Trump claimed he was “not a fan,” insisting that he and Epstein had not spoken in about 15 years. His lawyers later stated he had “no relationship” with Epstein, however, the associations remain.
Epstein’s address book reportedly once had multiple numbers for Trump and Melania, and pictures show Epstein visiting Mar-a-Lago in the late 1990s and early 2000s. These details make the contrast Newsom’s office created hard to overlook.
The timing is noteworthy. While Melania’s White House photo op aimed to soften or reinvigorate the Trump brand, Newsom’s latest troll hijacked it. The California governor has made using Trump-style rhetoric as a weapon against him and polls suggest he has been successful at achieving it.
At the same time, a deeper issue unfolds in Washington: the battle over the Epstein files. Since returning to office, Trump and his team tried to block full disclosure of Justice Department records related to Epstein, dismissing much of the discussion as a “Jeffrey Epstein hoax.”
Then came a sudden change as Trump posted on social media that “House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide.” This shift in tone occurred as the House was preparing to vote on whether to release the files to the public.
Melania has aimed to stay above the controversy; her office threatened legal action against commentators linking her to Epstein and emphasized that she is “proud to continue standing up to those who spread malicious and defamatory falsehoods.” Yet the social media landscape suggests that the control of the narrative isn’t fully in the hands of the Trumps anymore, especially when Epstein’s photograph is just a screenshot away.
In summary, what started as an attempt to polish a political image turned into a small battle over perceptions, past associations, and the unreleased records. Newsom may not change the world, but in this moment, he changed the narrative, and that narrative reveals a lot.
