Education Dept. AI Image Sparks Epstein Confusion
A post featuring Donald Trump in a race car led to online speculation about a figure resembling Jeffrey Epstein.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Education Dept. AI Image Sparks Epstein Confusion
Photograph: Mandatory (embedded from source)
What this story says
- The US Department of Education posted an AI-generated image on X featuring Donald Trump in a Mario Kart-style vehicle.
- The image also showed Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
- Online users and the House Oversight Democrats account suggested a figure in the image resembled Jeffrey Epstein.
- The post generated thousands of comments on the social media platform.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
72/100
Craft
87/100
Hype
30/100
6 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
The U.S. Department of Education published an artificial intelligence-generated image on the social media platform X. The image depicted President Donald Trump driving a vehicle in a style similar to the video game Mario Kart. Also featured in the image were Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
The caption accompanying the post read, “Freedom REVS, Stay tuned for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix THIS WEEKEND!”. The AI image was created using the Grok Imagine tool. The post prompted thousands of comments on X, with many users noting a resemblance between one of the figures and Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
The House Oversight Democrats Twitter account posted, “Jesus Christ, that’s Jeffrey Epstein,” referencing a popular meme. A spokesperson for the Department of Education confirmed to The Daily Beast that the third person in the image was Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Some viewers also mistook the AI depiction of McMahon for Hillary Clinton. The vehicle was labelled “ED,” referring to the Department of Education.
Disagreement on third figure's identity
Some online users and the House Oversight Democrats Twitter account suggested the third figure in the AI image resembled Jeffrey Epstein. A spokesperson for the Department of Education confirmed to The Daily Beast that the third person depicted is Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated digests mentioned that the AI image was created using the Grok Imagine tool. The centre-rated report from Mandatory, however, did include this detail.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 5 times, most recently on 21 Aug 2026, 12:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
5 rated outlets
- Left-rated reports focused on the confusion and mockery surrounding the AI image, particularly the figure resembling Jeffrey Epstein. The Age and Brisbane Times reported that the "White House mocked over AI ‘Epstein lookalike’ cartoon." Stuff stated the "Trump administration derided after posting AI cartoon of man resembling Epstein." Both The Independent (US) and The Independent noted the "Trump administration AI pic mocked for Epstein and Clinton lookalikes." These reports highlighted that the post drew thousands of comments and that many users asked the same question, implying widespread online reaction to the perceived Epstein likeness.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- Mandatory's full report led with the headline "Donald Trump's New AI Photo Sparks Jeffrey Epstein Confusion." It detailed the Department of Education's AI post and the subsequent social media frenzy caused by users spotting a character resembling Jeffrey Epstein. The report included the caption "Freedom REVS," and noted the AI image was created with Grok Imagine. It also mentioned the House Oversight Democrats' comment and the Department of Education spokesperson's confirmation that the third person was Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The report also touched on Trump's past statements regarding Epstein-related files and his personal friendship with Epstein.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Education Dept. AI Image Sparks Epstein Confusion?
- Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 83% are rated left, 17% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Education Dept. AI Image Sparks Epstein Confusion left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Education Dept. AI Image Sparks Epstein Confusion biased?
- Education Dept. AI Image Sparks Epstein Confusion is one event reported by 6 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Education Dept. AI Image Sparks Epstein Confusion?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Education Dept. AI Image Sparks Epstein Confusion?
- 6 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What was the U.S. Department of Education's AI image about?
- The U.S. Department of Education posted an AI-generated image on X showing President Donald Trump driving a Mario Kart-style vehicle. The image also featured Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, with a caption about a "Freedom 250 Grand Prix."
- Why did the AI image cause confusion online?
- Online users and the House Oversight Democrats account suggested that one of the figures in the AI image resembled Jeffrey Epstein. This led to widespread discussion and speculation on social media, despite a Department of Education spokesperson confirming the figure was Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
- Which outlets reported on the AI image?
- The story was reported by Mandatory (centre-rated), The Age, Brisbane Times, Stuff, The Independent (US), and The Independent (all left-rated). No right-rated outlets covered this story.
Read it at the source
6 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
5- White House mocked over AI ‘Epstein lookalike’ cartoon (opens Brisbane Times in a new tab)
Brisbane Times — is Brisbane Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- White House mocked over AI ‘Epstein lookalike’ cartoon (opens The Age in a new tab)
- Trump administration derided after posting AI cartoon of man resembling Epstein (opens Stuff in a new tab)
- Trump administration AI pic mocked for Epstein and Clinton lookalikes (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump administration AI pic mocked for Epstein and Clinton lookalikes (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
1Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
