Head of state Donald Trump remains to encounter reaction from his MAGA advocates over his management’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein data.
The Justice Division and FBI stated in a quick memorandum that a testimonial located no Epstein “customer checklist” and validated the disgraced sponsor passed away by self-destruction behind bars while waiting for test on sex-trafficking fees.
The head of state has actually attempted to move concentrate far from the instance, advising Chief law officer Pam Bondi to launch “whatever she assumes is reputable” prior to taking place to assert without proof the whole point was what he calls a “Autonomous scam.”
Some Republicans have actually sustained the Epstein intrigue and conspiracy theories bordering the instance for several years, with Trump himself evaluating in a number of times.
Below’s what Trump has actually stated concerning Epstein throughout his initial term, on the project path and currently as stress improves him to launch the Epstein data.
Head of state Donald Trump participates in the inaugural Pennsylvania Power and Development Top on the university of Carnegie Mellon College in Pittsburgh, July 15, 2025.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP through Getty Pictures
2019: Trump ranges himself from Epstein: ‘Not a follower’
After Epstein was jailed and billed with sex trafficking of minors in July 2019, Trump was inquired about his 2002 remarks in which he called Epstein “great” in a New york city Publication tale.
In reaction, Trump repetitively stated he had not been a “follower” of Epstein.
” Well, I recognized him like everyone in Hand Coastline recognized him,” Trump informed press reporters in the Oval Workplace. “I suggest, individuals in Hand Coastline recognized him. He was a component in Hand Coastline. I had a befalling with him a very long time earlier. I do not believe I have actually spoken with him for 15 years. I had not been a follower. I was not, yeah, a very long time earlier, I would certainly claim possibly 15 years. I was not a follower of his, that I can inform you. I was not a follower of his.”
In August 2019, after Epstein’s fatality, Trump retweeted an article that declared Costs Clinton was attached to Epstein’s fatality.
When inquired about his retweet in a meeting, Trump stated “what we’re claiming is we desire an examination. I desire a complete examination, which’s what I definitely am requiring. That’s what our attorney general of the United States– our terrific attorney general of the United States– is doing.” The attorney general of the United States at the time was Costs Barr.
Pushed even more on if he truly thought the Clintons were included, Trump really did not close it down.
” I have no concept,” he stated, yet urged even more inquiries. “So you need to ask: Did Costs Clinton most likely to the island? That’s the concern. If you discover that out, you’re mosting likely to recognize a great deal,” Trump stated at the time.
Clinton has actually refuted any type of expertise of Epstein’s criminal offenses and has actually refuted ever before going to Epstein’s exclusive island.
2020: Trump recommended Epstein might have been eliminated
In August 2020, throughout the thick of his reelection project, Trump recommended Epstein might have been eliminated while in government protection.
The remarks violated the searchings for of then-Attorney General Barr and the New york city City clinical inspector that ruled the fatality a self-destruction.
Throughout a meeting with Axios press reporter Jonathan Swan, Trump was inquired about Ghislaine Maxwell, an affiliate of Epstein that at the time of the meeting had actually simply been jailed. She is presently offering a 20-year sentence for conspiring with and helping Epstein in his sexual assault of minor women.
” Her sweetheart passed away behind bars. And individuals are still attempting to determine exactly how did it occur,” Trump stated. “Was it self-destruction? Was he eliminated? And I do want her well. I’m not searching for anything poor for her.”
In August 2023, in a meeting with Tucker Carlson, Trump was pushed even more on if he thought Epstein dedicated self-destruction or otherwise.
” Do you believe it’s feasible that Epstein was eliminated?” Carlson asked.
” Oh, certain, it’s feasible. I suggest, I do not truly think– I believe he most likely dedicated self-destruction,” Trump stated.
2024: Trump inquired about Epstein on the project path
In June 2024, Trump was asked if he would certainly launch numerous data– consisting of the John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. murder data and the Epstein data– throughout a meeting with Fox Information.
” Would certainly you declassify the Epstein data?” Fox Information’ Rachel Campos-Duffy asked. Trump reacted, “Yeah, yeah, I would certainly.”
That clip was flowed commonly on-line, consisting of by the Trump Battle Area– the social networks account of Trump’s project procedure. The account published it to X with the subtitle: “Head of state Trump claims he will certainly DECLASSIFY the 9/11 Data, JFK Data, and Epstein Data.”
Yet Trump’s complete response to the concern had not been revealed till it used Will Cain’s radio program.
Trump took place to claim in the exchange with Campos-Duffy: “I do not understand about Epstein even I do the others. Absolutely concerning the method he passed away. It would certainly interest discover what occurred there, since that was a strange circumstance and the electronic cameras really did not occur to be functioning, and so on, and so on. Yet yep, I would certainly go a lengthy method towards that.”
In this Sept. 8, 2004, data image, Jeffrey Epstein is received Cambridge, Mass.
Rick Friedman/Corbis through Getty Images, DOCUMENTS
In September 2024, Trump made a much more strong promise to launch Epstein data throughout a podcast with Lex Fridman.
Fridman, in discussion with Trump, stated “it’s simply really unusual for a great deal of individuals that the checklist of customers that mosted likely to the island has actually not been revealed.”
” It’s really intriguing, isn’t it? It most likely will be, incidentally, most likely,” Trump stated.
” If you have the ability to, you’ll be–” Fridman began prior to Trump entered.
” Yeah, I ‘d absolutely have a look at it. Currently, Kennedy’s intriguing since it’s a lot of years earlier,” Trump stated. “They do that for threat also, since it threatens particular individuals, and so on, and so on, so Kennedy is really various from the Epstein point yet I would certainly be inclined to do the Epstein. I would certainly have no worry with it.”
2025: Trump attempts to disregard Epstein data after DOJ, FBI memorandum triggers GOP reaction
For the initial a number of months of his management, broach the Epstein data was mainly entrusted to Trump authorities, consisting of Bondi, FBI Supervisor Kash Patel and FBI Replacement Supervisor Dan Bongino. In April, Trump stated he was uninformed of when the data would certainly be launched.
After That, after the DOJ and FBI launched their memorandum on July 7, Trump responded to outrage from his MAGA base.
Trump attempted to close down a concern concerning Epstein throughout a Closet satisfying the following day, July 8, right after the dangerous flash flooding of the Guadalupe River.
” Are you still speaking about Jeffrey Epstein?” Trump fired back to a press reporter. “This individual’s been spoken about for several years. You’re asking. We have Texas, we have this. We have every one of the important things. And are individuals still speaking about this individual, this creep? That boggles the mind.”
Trump after that transformed to protect Bondi in a prolonged social networks blog post on July 12, in which he stated his management and his advocates need to prioritize their emphasis in other places.
” We have a PERFECT Management, THE BROACH THE GLOBE, and ‘self-indulgent individuals’ are attempting to injure it, throughout a person that never ever passes away, Jeffrey Epstein,” Trump composed in the blog post.
Head of state Donald Trump talks to the media after getting to Joint Base Andrews, July 15, 2025, in Joint Base Andrews, Md.
Evan Vucci/AP
The tale, however, really did not wane and Trump just showed up to expand even more irate by the pushback from his advocates.
On July 15, Trump showed up to place the obligation on Bondi wherefore follows, claiming she must launch “whatever she assumes is reputable” on Epstein. Later on that day, Trump stated he really did not comprehend the rate of interest in Epstein.
” It’s rather dull things. It’s scurvy, yet it’s dull, and I do not comprehend why it maintains going,” Trump stated. He included, “I believe truly just rather poor individuals, consisting of phony information, intend to maintain something like that going.”
The following day, on July 16, Trump required to social networks baselessly condemning Democrats for the data and those that he called “previous advocates” of his for the addiction on Epstein.
” Their brand-new fraud is what we will certainly permanently call the Jeffrey Epstein Scam, and my PAST advocates have actually acquired right into this “b ——,” hook, line, and weight,” Trump composed on his very own conventional social networks system.
” Allow these cowards proceed ahead and do the Democrats job, do not also think of broaching our unbelievable and unmatched success, since I do not desire their assistance any longer!” Trump included.
Trump increased down on that case in the Oval Workplace, calling it an Autonomous “scam.” When asked by ABC Information Principal White Home Reporter Mary Bruce if the attorney general of the United States informed him it was a scam or what proof he had actually seen of that, Trump responded:
” The attorney general of the United States, no. I recognize it’s a scam. It’s begun by Democrats,” Trump urged. He included “some dumb” and “crazy” Republican politicians had actually succumbed to it.
ABC Information’ Will Steakin added to this record.
