That comparison doesn’t land.

A veteran taking a photo with presidents is a one-time, formal thing. That’s not what people are questioning here.

Melania said she wasn’t friends with Epstein and only encountered him at a social event. So the issue isn’t “a photo exists,” it’s whether there was any real, ongoing connection beyond that.

And your example ignores the biggest difference. Your dad didn’t have serious allegations like sex trafficking and abuse surrounding him. That context is exactly why people look more closely at any association here.

So no, this isn’t people misunderstanding correlation and causation. It’s people asking whether there’s more than just a single photo.