Photo of Trump in Moscow is real, but not from his first visit in 1987

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            <p class="fact_check_info_description">While the image is a genuine photograph of Trump in Moscow, it actually documents a later trip taken in November 1996 when he was 50 years old. Furthermore, Dubinin was no longer serving as the Soviet ambassador to the United States at that time.</p>
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<p>For quite some time, social media users have circulated a picture purporting to show Donald Trump at age 41 on his inaugural trip to Moscow in July 1987. Accompanying posts frequently asserted that Yuri Dubinin, the Soviet ambassador to the U.S., personally invited Trump, leveraging the narrative to fuel long-running theories about secret connections between the future president and Russia.</p>

<p>The black-and-white photo depicts Trump wearing a tie and overcoat inside a spacious room, holding a beverage while browsing a buffet spread alongside a group of other men.</p>

<p>As an illustration, a Reddit user <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/UtterlyUniquePhotos/comments/1vrzlgw/future_reality_tv_show_host_don_trump_41_years/">shared</a> (<a href="https://perma.cc/7UW6-FWEF">archived</a>) the image on August 18, 2026, using the caption: "Future reality tv show host, Don Trump, 41 years old, in Moscow at the invitation of Soviet Ambassador to the U.S., Yuri Dubinin. July 1987."</p>

<img class="img-md img-center" src="https://mediaproxy.snopes.com/width/600?url=https://media.snopes.com/2026/08/trump_moscow_reddit_post.jpg" alt="Reddit post screenshot displaying a black-and-white photo of a younger Donald Trump holding a glass and checking out a buffet table."/>

<p><strong>(SteveNtheseagulls accessed via Reddit)</strong></p>

<p>The picture and associated rumors have surfaced across <a href="https://perma.cc/XMY9-69B8">various</a> <a href="https://perma.cc/UQR7-FQWM">platforms</a>, including <a href="https://www.facebook.com/roman.sheremeta.7/posts/pfbid037wAf1XEKUpbC4Z4L7MkjzoRBYsBms34bzxu3yryYd2xP7MURAnwzqkVUztvbDgG4l">Facebook</a> (<a href="https://perma.cc/744M-78KD">archived</a>), <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DQCCqhuDWXy/">Instagram</a> (<a href="https://perma.cc/K27T-972E">archived</a>), <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:share:7487340653979254787/">LinkedIn</a> (<a href="https://perma.cc/3PPX-THB2">archived</a>), and <a href="https://x.com/EuromaidanPR/status/1898342210325950904">X</a> (<a href="https://perma.cc/LF5N-KJYS">archived</a>). Certain posts expanded on the narrative by weaving in details about proposed Moscow hotel projects, Trump's 1988 acquisition of New York's Plaza Hotel, and unverified assertions that operatives from the KGB—the former Soviet security and intelligence agency—had recruited him as an asset.</p>

<p>Trump’s 1987 memoir, <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Trump_The_Art_of_the_Deal/Ye6e_VxM00kC?hl=en&amp;gbpv=1">"The Art of the Deal,"</a> does confirm that an invitation from Dubinin brought a 41-year-old Trump to Moscow for the very first time in July 1987, largely to scout potential locations for a hotel venture.</p>

<p>While the photo itself is entirely authentic and free of artificial intelligence manipulation, it does not depict that initial 1987 journey. Instead, photographic records prove it was taken during a subsequent trip to the Russian capital in November 1996, when Trump was 50 years old and exploring real estate opportunities following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. By then, Dubinin was no longer serving as ambassador to the U.S., and the planned hotel projects never materialized. Consequently, the claim is classified as miscaptioned.</p>

<p>Beyond chronological and factual errors regarding the photo's date, no credible or definitive evidence has ever established that Russia recruited Trump as an asset. Previous investigations into allegations by a former Soviet security official regarding a 1987 KGB recruitment effort similarly found no substantiating proof.</p>

<p><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/editorial-photos-videos/detail?itemid=2f302b29778e416eb30d1a3aa60b1419&amp;mediatype=photo">The Associated Press</a> attributes the photograph to photojournalist Igor Tabakov, who captured it on November 5, 1996. The official AP archive caption states: "In this Nov. 5, 1996, file photo, American real estate mogul Donald Trump, left, visits a reception, as he checks out sites in Moscow, Russia, for luxury residential towers."</p>

<p>The narratives accompanying the photograph frequently piggyback on broader discussions surrounding Russia, particularly investigations into interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. A 2020 report issued by the Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee outlined significant counterintelligence concerns and noted that members of Trump's campaign anticipated capitalizing on assistance from the Kremlin.</p>

<p>The following sections outline the background behind the various claims that frequently accompany this viral photograph on social media.</p>

<h2>Trump's Initial Journey to Russia in July 1987</h2>

<p>In "The Art of the Deal," Trump recounts crossing paths with Dubinin at a 1986 luncheon, noting that the ambassador's daughter was already familiar with Trump Tower:</p>

<blockquote>
    <p>A prominent businessman who does a lot of business with the Soviet Union calls to keep me posted on a construction project I'm interested in undertaking in Moscow. The idea got off the ground after I sat next to the Soviet ambassador, Yuri Dubinin, at a luncheon held by Leonard Lauder, a great businessman who is the son of Estee Lauder. Dubinin's daughter, it turned out, had read about Trump Tower and knew all about it. One thing led to another, and now I'm talking about building a large luxury hotel, across the street from the Kremlin, in partnership with the Soviet government. They have asked me to go to Moscow in July.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Later in the book, Trump describes departing for Moscow alongside his then-wife, Ivana Trump, on July 4, 1987:</p>

<blockquote>
    <p>In January 1987, I got a letter from Yuri Dubinin, the Soviet ambassador to the United States, that began: "It is a pleasure for me to relay some good news from Moscow." It went on to say that the leading Soviet state agency for international tourism, Goscomintourist, had expressed interest in pursuing a joint venture to construct and manage a hotel in Moscow. On July 4, I flew with Ivana, her assistant Lisa Calandra, and Norma to Moscow. It was an extraordinary experience. We toured a half dozen potential sites for a hotel, including several near Red Square. We stayed in Lenin's suite at the National Hotel, and I was impressed with the ambition of the Soviet officials to make a deal.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>By the end of that month, Trump <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/article/press-of-atlantic-city/204227208/">indicated</a> (<a href="https://perma.cc/M5SF-HMB6">archived</a>) to the New Jersey publication *Press of Atlantic City* that discussions had stalled, explaining he had abandoned hopes of hotel development after Soviet representatives insisted on a partnership where Trump would only hold minority control.</p>

<p>Misidentified photographs have frequently accompanied stories of this era; for instance, a widely circulated Reddit post featured a picture allegedly showing Donald and Ivana Trump in Moscow in July 1987, though the image was actually captured at <a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/GLbXDeKDiL4o8o5G6">St. Petersburg's Palace Square</a>. *The Washington Post* <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/we-will-be-in-moscow-the-story-of-trumps-30-year-quest-to-expand-his-brand-to-russia/2018/11/29/91f9f100-f3f4-11e8-aeea-b85fd44449f5_story.html">later published</a> the image with the correct caption: "Donald Trump and his then-wife, Ivana Trump, visit St. Petersburg in 1987."</p>

<img class="img-lg" src="https://mediaproxy.snopes.com/width/600?url=https://media.snopes.com/2026/08/trump_moscow_1987_reddit.jpg" alt="Reddit post screenshot from r/pics featuring Donald and Ivana Trump outdoors."/>

<p><strong>(chennai94, accessed via Reddit)</strong></p>

<h2>The Acquisition of the Plaza Hotel</h2>

<p>Online posts pairing the 1996 black-and-white photo with a 1987 timeline often attempt to cast suspicion on the financing behind Trump's purchase of the Plaza Hotel.</p>

<p>For example, a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/roman.sheremeta.7/posts/pfbid037wAf1XEKUpbC4Z4L7MkjzoRBYsBms34bzxu3yryYd2xP7MURAnwzqkVUztvbDgG4l">Facebook post</a> (<a href="https://perma.cc/744M-78KD">archived</a>) alleged that during his 1987 travels to Russia, Trump secured backing from multiple banking institutions to purchase the Plaza Hotel for $407.5 million.</p>

<p>Historical newspaper archives tell a different story regarding the transaction.</p>

<p>In September 1988, *The New York Times Magazine* <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/25/magazine/stalking-the-plaza.html">reported</a> that Trump acquired a $425 million loan "provided by a consortium of banks led by Citicorp," allocating $407.5 million of those funds directly toward the acquisition of the hotel and neighboring properties at 22 Central Park South.</p>

<p>At the time, Trump's spokesperson, Howard Rubenstein, <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday/204229779/">attributed</a> (<a href="https://perma.cc/W32F-B66D">archived</a>) the interest in the property to Trump simply observing it from his office window, noting, "He keeps looking out and seeing things. That's how he got involved in the [Wollman] skating rink, and now this."</p>

<p>By April 1995, *The New York Times* <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/12/business/trump-is-selling-plaza-hotel-to-saudi-and-asian-investors.html">announced</a> that Trump was divesting from the Plaza Hotel, selling it to a coalition involving a Saudi Arabian prince and a prominent Singaporean investor. Contemporary coverage noted that American and Japanese financial institutions held mortgages on the building, with no mention of Russian involvement.</p>

<h2>Trump's Return Trip in November 1996</h2>

<p>On November 7, 1996, *USA Today* <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/article/usa-today/204232320/">quoted</a> (<a href="https://perma.cc/EC8N-HPKM">archived</a>) Trump telling *The Moscow Times* regarding his business trip, "We're looking at building a super-luxury residential tower, which I think Moscow desperately wants and needs."</p>

<p>That interview was published just two days after Tabakov snapped the widely shared black-and-white photograph, marking a return visit nearly a decade after Trump's initial 1987 exploration of the Russian market.</p>

<p>Further details regarding Trump's decades-long efforts to establish a real estate presence in Russia have been documented extensively by outlets such as <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-involvement-russia/3695927.html">Voice of America</a> and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/we-will-be-in-moscow-the-story-of-trumps-30-year-quest-to-expand-his-brand-to-russia/2018/11/29/91f9f100-f3f4-11e8-aeea-b85fd44449f5_story.html">The Washington Post</a>.</p>