Musk brings up Epstein files in Trump feud: Is the US president linked to the sex offender?

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Donald Trump and Elon Musk's friendship has crashed and burned. Their rift turned ugly on Thursday as the two took potshots at each other on social media. What began as a disagreement over the US president's policies became personal when the Tesla CEO mentioned the Epstein files. But what are they? read more
It is over between Donald Trump and Elon Musk (for now). The United States President and the world's richest person's ugly spat has spilt out into public for the entire world to see. The gloves came off last night as the duo engaged in a war of words on social media – Trump on his Truth Social and Musk on X.
It was not out of the blue that the US president and Tesla CEO's friendship crashed and burned. After Musk's departure from the Trump administration last week, he publicly berated Trump's signature 'One, Big, Beautiful Bill' — an indication of a widening rift between him and the Republican leader.
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What began as a disagreement about national debt soon turned personal. Musk insinuated that Trump was in the Epstein files — a reference to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's files.
But what are these?
Let's take a closer look.
Musk brings up Epstein files
Donald Trump and Elon Musk's falling out happened in real time. The duo were involved in a bickering contest on Thursday (June 5) over the US president's 'big, beautiful' bill .
Musk has objected to the legislation that would raise the federal debt ceiling by $4 trillion to $40 trillion.
Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that Musk was 'wearing thin' as he asked him to leave the administration. The US president added that the Tesla CEO 'just went CRAZY' when he cut subsidies for 'Electric Cars that nobody else wanted'.
Donald J. Trump Truth Social 06.05.25 02:37 PM EST pic.twitter.com/vlq4FwkkpB — Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) June 5, 2025
This triggered an online battle between the duo that lasted over three hours. As the tensions mounted, the US president threatened to set aside Musk's government contracts.
'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,' Trump wrote.
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Musk retorted by saying, 'go ahead, make my day'. The tech billionaire then proceeded to drop a 'really big bomb'.
'@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,' Musk wrote on X.
'Have a nice day, DJT!' he added, referring to the US president by his initials.
Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025
Musk did not provide any evidence for his claims or how he may have obtained access to unreleased files related to convicted financier Jeffrey Epstein.
In a statement to CNN, White House Press secretary Karoline Leavitt called Musk's claims an 'unfortunate episode'.
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'This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again,' she said.
What are the Epstein files?
The Epstein files refer to an array of evidence assembled by investigators on several criminal cases against Jeffrey Epstein and his associates.
Epstein was a convicted sex offender who abused and trafficked underage girls. The disgraced financier ran one of the most prolific sex trafficking rings in US history.
In 2008, he pleaded guilty and was convicted of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. Epstein was arrested again in 2019 on sex trafficking charges.
However, he died by suicide in a federal jail in New York before his trial.
Epstein hired high school girls for 'massages' that quickly turned sexual. It is alleged that the multimillionaire 'lent' girls to his high-profile contacts and stored blackmail material.
While many court documents related to Epstein, including flight logs for his private jet, have been released, several remain sealed. There have been conspiracies that the FBI has not made all documents public to shield Epstein's high-profile associates.
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There have been demands to release the entire case file, especially the 'client list.'
Since returning to the White House in January, the Trump administration has released some Epstein files. It plans to release more, however, it is unclear when.
Before Musk's loaded accusation against Trump, FBI deputy director Dan Bongino told Fox News that they would release more Epstein-related documents in the coming weeks.
Epstein's link to Trump
Trump and Musk were reportedly friends for nearly two decades. The pair were among New York's high society and spent time together in Palm Beach, Florida, as per The Times newspaper.
They were photographed together at parties, including at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.
In the 1990s, the billionaire flew on Epstein's private jet several times, mostly between Florida and New York, documents released as part of the trial of the convicted sex offender's associate Ghislaine Maxwell revealed.
In 2002, Trump told New York Magazine: 'I've known Jeff for 15 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.'
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Epstein's notorious leaked address books had Trump's as well as his wife Melania's phone numbers.
Last year, Michael Wolff, the journalist and Trump biographer, released tapes of his interview with Epstein to the Daily Beast. In the interviews, Epstein is heard boasting about his ties to Trump and his wife by claiming, 'the first time he slept with her was on my plane'.
He can also be heard calling Trump his 'best friend for ten years'.
Trump and Epstein fell apart in 2004 over competition for Florida real estate.
The US president is reported to have told associates that he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago for trying to hire a woman who worked at the club.
Before his election last November, Trump said he would have 'no problem' releasing Epstein-related files. No evidence has emerged that the Republican leader engaged in criminal activity with Epstein. Even if he was named in the documents, it would not necessarily prove wrongdoing.
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With inputs from agencies