The Republican Party’s upcoming convention in Dallas, Texas, has already become the target of an elaborate online prank, with a look-alike website sending unsuspecting visitors straight to the Justice Department’s online library of Jeffrey Epstein files. The spoof has since gone viral, leading to further mockery since it appeared to be the top result on Google for several hours.
The spoof site, gopdallas2026.com, suddenly appeared on September 4 and was designed to resemble the website for the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) first-ever national midterm convention, which is scheduled for September 9 and 10 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Instead of convention details, however, visitors to the site were being redirected to the DOJ’s Epstein Library, creating an awkward digital detour for anyone searching online for information about the Republican gathering. At the time of writing, the spoof website is still up and working, pointing to the Epstein Files.
Meanwhile, the official convention website is actually gopconvention.com. It remains unclear who created the spoof website or who is responsible for the redirect. According to domain-registration information, gopdallas2026.com was registered through GoDaddy on July 7, although the owner’s identity is private.
The website also reportedly appeared prominently in Google search results for queries related to the 2026 GOP convention, potentially making the prank considerably more effective. An archived version of the site included a disclaimer stating that it was an independent informational resource and was not affiliated with the RNC, the convention, the American Airlines Center, or any official convention entity.
Many people online found the prank funny
The timing of the stunt is particularly notable because the Epstein files have remained a politically explosive issue for President Donald Trump and Republicans. The Justice Department’s database was created following the 2025 Epstein Files Transparency Act, which directed the release of unclassified federal records related to the convicted sex offender.
Trump has repeatedly denied knowing about Epstein’s sexual abuse of girls. He has acknowledged that the two men were once friends, but has said their relationship ended. Online, however, the spoof site quickly became the event’s unofficial sideshow. “Kudos to the patriot that made this happen,” one commenter wrote, while another praised the person behind the stunt for supposedly “doing the lord’s work.”
Others were impressed by the site’s apparent search-engine performance. “The fact they got top-ranked by Google when searching ‘GOP convention 2026’ is nothing short of amazing,” one commenter wrote, adding, “Bravo to their SEO team.” As speculation spread over who was behind the prank, another user summed up the internet’s reaction: “What a legend.” Meanwhile, the RNC had not publicly identified the person or group responsible for the spoof as of the latest reports.
