Over the past several weeks, Donald Trump has grown increasingly frantic in his efforts to suppress the Epstein files and threaten media outlets for reporting on his and Jeffrey Epstein’s deep friendship over the years. The American people are witnessing Trump orchestrating a blatant cover-up to protect the well-connected elite while denying Americans the truth about Jeffrey Epstein’s network of powerful associates. But Americans overwhelmingly reject the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files and see right through Trump’s lies as just another example of him abusing his power to protect himself and his wealthy friends rather than providing the transparency and accountability that Americans deserve.
HEADLINES
The Wall Street Journal: Jeffrey Epstein’s Friends Sent Him Bawdy Letters for a 50th Birthday Album. One Was From Donald Trump.
- “The letter bearing Trump’s name, which was reviewed by the Journal, is bawdy—like others in the album. It contains several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker. A pair of small arcs denotes the woman’s breasts, and the future president’s signature is a squiggly ‘Donald’ below her waist, mimicking pubic hair. The letter concludes: ‘Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.’”
- “The president’s past relationship with Epstein is at a sensitive moment. The Justice Department documents, the so-called Epstein files, and who or what is in them are at the center of a storm consuming the Trump administration. On Wednesday, after angry comments about how the files are a hoax created by Democrats, President Trump lashed out at his own supporters for refusing to let the matter go.”
CNBC: Trump Sues Murdoch for $10 Billion Over WSJ Story On Epstein Birthday Letter.
- “President Donald Trump sued Rupert Murdoch for libel after his Wall Street Journal published an article saying Trump sent Jeffrey Epstein a ‘bawdy’ letter for Epstein’s 50th birthday…The Journal reported that the letter, allegedly sent in 2003, was among documents included in evidence assembled by federal criminal investigators as part of their probe of Epstein…Trump and Epstein had been friends, but fell out years before Epstein was arrested on charges of child sex trafficking in 2019.”
The New York Times: Inside the Long Friendship Between Trump and Epstein.
- “Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein spent nearly 15 years mingling side-by-side as public friends…But behind the tabloid glamour, questions have lingered about what Mr. Trump’s long association with Mr. Epstein says about his judgment and character, especially as his allies have stoked sinister claims about Mr. Epstein’s connections to Democrats. After their relationship ruptured, the disgraced financier ended up behind bars not just once, but two times, after being accused of engaging in sex with teenage girls.”
- “What seemed to draw them together, according to those who knew them at the time, was a common interest in hitting on — and competing for — attractive young women at parties, nightclubs and other private events.”
- “In recent weeks, right-wing influencers and Mr. Trump’s rank-and-file supporters expressed outrage over his administration’s conclusion that there were no revelations to share about the case — not least because some of the president’s top law enforcement officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, had promised to reveal more information about Mr. Epstein’s crimes. Mr. Trump sought to quiet the demands, calling the Epstein scandal a ‘hoax’ made up by his Democratic adversaries. He also described it as a subject unworthy of further scrutiny. ‘Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?’ Mr. Trump asked reporters with exasperation at a cabinet meeting on July 8. ‘This guy’s been talked about for years.’”
The New York Times: A Timeline of What We Know About Trump and Epstein.
- “By his own admission, President Trump was friendly for at least 15 years with Jeffrey Epstein, the multimillionaire financier and convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019. Their relationship is now under scrutiny after the Trump administration decided to withhold parts of the files from the sex trafficking investigation into Mr. Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.”
- “Upon taking office, Mr. Trump appointed leaders of the Justice Department and F.B.I. who had promised right-wing base they would be getting to the bottom of the Epstein investigation. But after leading on Mr. Trump’s base, the Justice Department and the F.B.I. said that the Epstein files did not contain the kind of evidence that would justify investigating other people. The video recordings of child sexual abuse material found by investigators were not videos that Mr. Epstein recorded of crimes by himself or his friends, but material he downloaded, Ms. Bondi said. Still, Mr. Trump has repeatedly lashed out at those who questioned him.”
The New York Times: An Accuser’s Story Suggests How Trump Might Appear in the Epstein Files.
- “In interviews over the past week about what she told the authorities, Ms. Farmer said she had no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Mr. Epstein’s associates. But she said she was alarmed by what she saw as Mr. Epstein’s pattern of pursuing girls and young women while building friendships with prominent people, including Mr. Trump and President Bill Clinton.
- “The encounter with Mr. Trump, Ms. Farmer said, occurred in 1995 as she was preparing to work for Mr. Epstein. She said she told the authorities that late one night, Mr. Epstein unexpectedly called her to his offices in a luxury building in Manhattan, and she arrived in running shorts. Mr. Trump then arrived, wearing a business suit, and started to hover over her, she said she told the authorities. Ms. Farmer said she recalled feeling scared as Mr. Trump stared at her bare legs. Then Mr. Epstein entered the room, and she recalled him saying to Mr. Trump: ‘No, no. She’s not here for you.’”
New York Magazine: Is Trump in the Epstein Files? All About Their Friendship.
- “As the scandal over his administration’s botched release of the Jeffrey Epstein files exploded in July, Donald Trump claimed he doesn’t understand why anyone is still interested in the late sex offender, as ‘He was never a big factor in terms of life.’ That’s debatable. (‘Who among us is?’) But Epstein has definitely become a big factor in terms of problems for his old pal.”
- “For years, Trump stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein and his many powerful friends and associates, but questions about his own relationship with the disgraced financier persisted. We know Trump and Epstein were friends from the late 1980s to the early aughts. The future president was photographed with Epstein, flew on his plane, and discussed their relationship in the media. Trump’s name comes up in both old court documents and the batches released in 2024, years after Epstein died in prison while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.”
ABC News: What Trump Has Said About Jeffrey Epstein Over The Years, Including On 2024 Campaign Trail.
- “President Donald Trump continues to face backlash from his MAGA supporters over his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The Justice Department and FBI said in a brief memo that a review found no Epstein ‘client list’ and confirmed the disgraced financier died by suicide in prison while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. The president has tried to shift focus away from the case, urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to release ‘whatever she thinks is credible’ before going on to claim without evidence the entire thing was what he calls a ‘Democratic hoax.’ Some Republicans have fueled the Epstein intrigue and conspiracies surrounding the case for years, with Trump himself weighing in several times. Here’s what Trump has said about Epstein during his first term, on the campaign trail and now as pressure builds on him to release the Epstein files.”