Who created the original Trump-Clinton image and when was it first posted?
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Executive summary
A photographer working for the White House photographed Donald Trump and Bill Clinton together at the 2000 U.S. Open; that still image has been identified as the source for later AI-manipulated video and viral images (see William Vasta / White House photographer attribution in PolitiFact reporting summarized by University of St. Thomas) [1]. House Democrats released new batches of photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate on Dec. 12, 2025 that included images featuring Trump and Clinton among nearly 100,000 files made available to the House Oversight Committee [2] [3].
1. Who took the original Trump–Clinton still photograph — the provenance
Contemporary reporting and forensic analysts tie the original still photograph of Bill Clinton and Donald Trump to a White House photographer who shot the two in 2000 at the U.S. Open, with the image credited in reporting that underpins later fact checks and technical analyses [1]. Multiple outlets note that the real photograph — not the AI-generated video derivative — is the baseline image used by manipulators [1].
2. When and where the original image was taken
The photograph was taken in 2000 at the U.S. Open, where then‑President Bill Clinton was photographed greeting Donald Trump; archives and collection finding aids for Clinton’s photographic records corroborate the 2000 timing and provide supporting context for images of Clinton and Trump from that year [4] [1].
3. When the image surfaced publicly in recent coverage
A tranche of images tied to Jeffrey Epstein’s estate was publicly released by House Democrats on Dec. 12, 2025; those releases included images of Trump and Clinton among nearly 100,000 photos obtained by the committee, and renewed public attention on historic photos that show the two men in proximity [3] [2]. Reporting across the BBC, Politico and CNBC documents that Dec. 12, 2025 release and its contents [5] [3] [2].
4. The derivative AI video and who identified the still as its source
Digital forensics experts and academic analysts examined a viral video that depicted Trump touching Clinton and concluded it was AI‑generated from a still photograph. Manjeet Rege, director of the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence, and other fact-checkers described artifacts consistent with image-to-video AI tools and said the video was created based on the authentic photograph of Trump and Clinton from 2000 [1]. PolitiFact and Snopes where cited in broader fact‑checking work noting the clip as AI‑fabricated using that still [1] [6].
5. Conflicting claims, political framing and limited transparency
House Democrats framed the Dec. 12, 2025 releases as transparency about Epstein’s network; Republicans called the releases “cherry‑picked” and a “false narrative” about President Trump, illustrating the partisan dispute over context and selective presentation [7]. News organizations reported that many photos are undated and redacted, and that none of the newly released images necessarily show illegal activity, highlighting limits to what the images alone prove [3] [8].
6. What the sources do not say — acknowledged gaps
Available sources do not specify the exact first public post date and user account that circulated the manipulated Trump–Clinton image or the first social platform where the AI video appeared; reporting instead documents that a 2000 still exists and that later AI-generated videos were created from it, and that congressional releases on Dec. 12, 2025 renewed attention [1] [3]. If you want the identity of the initial online poster and timestamp of the manipulated clip, current reporting in these sources does not mention that granular provenance.
7. Takeaway for readers — verification and motive
The authenticated still photograph of Trump and Clinton taken in 2000 is the factual anchor; subsequent viral clips depicting intimate or sexualized contact have been forensically identified as AI derivatives of that still [1]. The Dec. 12, 2025 release of Epstein‑estate photos by House Democrats expanded public exposure to images showing both men in social settings but did not, in the reporting cited here, validate the salacious AI videos or establish criminal conduct tied to the circulated stills [3] [2] [8]. Readers should treat viral video claims as distinct from archival photographs and consult forensic fact‑checks when provenance and authenticity matter [1] [6].