Donald Trump has called Jeffrey Epstein a “terrific guy” in the past but has since kept his distance
Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein together in 1997.
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Donald Trump has said he feels bad that Bill Clinton features in the latest release of the Epstein Files, and said that “everybody” was friends with the disgraced financier.
The US president has spoken after the Department of Justice was legally obligated to make all files related to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein public.
Latest images showed both Mr Trump and Mr Clinton, who was in office from 1993 to 2000.
“I think it’s terrible,” Mr Trump said, adding: “I like Bill Clinton… and I hate to see photos come out of him.”
He added: “Everybody was friendly with this guy [Epstein], either friendly or not friendly.
“He was all over Palm Beach and other places… and Bill Clinton was a friend of his, but everybody was.”
Epstein’s brother has previously said Mr Trump was “really good friends” with the convicted sex offender, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
Mr Trump has said he will attempt to sue the Wall Street Journal after it published what it claimed was a risque 2003 personal note to Epstein.
The president said the letter, sent to the disgraced financier for his 50th birthday, was fake after the newspaper uploaded it to its website.
Read also: Trump denies writing ‘bawdy’ Epstein birthday letter as he threatens to sue major US newspaper
“They were really good friends,” Mark Epstein said. “They partied together. Jeffrey was at his wedding. They used to fly on each other’s planes.
“Once we flew up on Jeffrey’s plane from Florida back in 1999. The evidence is already there; how much more do you need?”
Elon Musk said Donald Trump was implicated within unreleased Epstein investigation files but later apologised for his tweet.
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The alleged comments were made in a leather-bound book that Ghislaine Maxwell compiled as a 50th birthday present for her long-time associate and partner in crime.
Maxwell was herself convicted of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy charges in 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Read also: Trump requests release of grand jury testimony on Epstein case as ‘bawdy’ birthday letter revealed
Here is what we know about the relationship between Mr Trump and Epstein.
How well did Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein know each other?
The pair were known to socialise from the 1980s to the early 2000s, both owning properties in both New York and Mar-a-Lago, Florida. In 2002, Mr Trump told the New Yorker: “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy.
“He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
“I mean, people in Palm Beach knew him. He was a fixture in Palm Beach. I had a falling out with him a long time ago,” Mr Trump, then president, said in 2019.
“I don’t think I’ve spoken to him for 15 years. I wasn’t a fan. I was not, yeah, a long time ago, I’d say maybe 15 years. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you. I was not a fan of his.”
Donald Trump with model Ingrid Seynhaeve – and Jeffrey Epstein in the background.
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What are the Epstein files?
These refer to several batches of court documents and government files related to Epstein that have been released or unsealed at different times.
While these contained more than 1,000 pages of court records, the files were heavily redacted in some areas, including around Epstein’s contact book and masseuse list.
Elon Musk stated that during his feud with Donald Trump, the president was implicated.
“Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files,” he tweeted. “That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”
However, the tech billionaire later deleted the tweet and said he thought some of his posts about the president “went too far”.
What has Donald Trump said?
Mr Trump faced numerous questions about the relationship while on the campaign trail ahead of the 2024 US election. He said he would declassify the Epstein files.
But in April he said he was not sure when the files would be released in full. He later came out swinging, and stating that there should be greater priorities.
“It’s pretty boring stuff. It’s sordid, but it’s boring, and I don’t understand why it keeps going,” Mr Trump said.
“I think really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going.”