CNN exclusive: Newly discovered photos and video shed fresh light on Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein
Newly uncovered archived video footage and photos reveal fresh details about Donald Trump's past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Photos from 1993 confirm for the first time that Epstein attended Trump's 1993 wedding to Marla Maples. Epstein's attendance at the ceremony at the Plaza Hotel was not widely known until now.
In addition, footage from a 1999 Victoria's Secret fashion event in New York shows Trump and Epstein laughing and chatting together ahead of the runway event. CNN's KFile uncovered the raw footage during a review of archival video of Trump at events in the 1990s and 2000s. Trump and Epstein appeared together in at least one video among the limited archival footage reviewed.
The new footage and photos, which have not been widely reported and pre-date any of Epstein's known legal issues, come amid renewed scrutiny of Trump's past relationship with Epstein. The U.S. Justice Department's recent decision not to release long-promised files related to Epstein has spurred outrage in some corners of Trump's MAGA movement, where people developed an expectation for bombshell revelations into Epstein's alleged co-conspirators.
In a brief call with CNN on Tuesday, President Trump, asked about the wedding photos, responded, 'You've got to be kidding me,' before repeatedly calling CNN 'fake news' and hanging up.
In a statement to CNN, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said, 'These are nothing more than out-of-context frame grabs of innocuous videos and pictures of widely attended events to disgustingly infer something nefarious.
'The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep. This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media.'
Allegations that Epstein sexually abused underage girls first surfaced in 2005, leading to his arrest a year later. He was arrested again in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges and later died in jail, fueling numerous conspiracy theories. The medical examiner ruled his death a suicide by hanging.
Donald Trump Epstein Exclusive
Jeffrey Epstein is seen at Donald Trump and Marla Maples wedding at the Plaza Hotel in New York in December 1993. (Dafydd Jones via CNN Newsource)
A past relationship
Trump's relationship with Epstein dates back to the 1980s and included regular appearances at social events in Palm Beach and New York. No law enforcement authorities have ever accused Trump of wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
The two had a falling-out in the mid-2000s, according to the Washington Post, stemming from a dispute over a high-profile real estate deal in Palm Beach.
Before then, photos and video repeatedly showed the two were friendly. In 2019, NBC posted footage of a party showing Trump socializing with Epstein in 1992.
A year later in October 1993, high-society photographer Dafydd Jones took photos at the opening of the Harley Davidson Cafe in New York, capturing Trump and Epstein together.
'There was this guy there who struck me — the way he was looking — and he gave me his card. It said: Jeffrey Epstein, financial advisor,' Jones recalled in an interview with CNN this week.
Jones captured photos of Trump with his arm around his two young children as he stands next to Epstein, leaning on a railing.
Two months later, in December 1993, Jones was assigned by a media organization to photograph Trump's wedding. Among the photos he took was one of Epstein entering the event.
'I must have recognized him going in [to the event],' Jones said to CNN, adding he only took select photos of attendees he thought looked interesting.
'I wish now I took more of him with Trump,' he said. 'I had the job of photographing the Trump wedding, so I stood with the press and photographed him. The image you have is from the contact sheet — the negatives were lost.'
Another photo captures Epstein at Trump's wedding, part of LIFE's archive that was reviewed by CNN. It shows Epstein smiling in the background — his head just visible between other guests and shock jock Howard Stern and Robin Leach of 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,' who were taking a group picture.
LIFE's collection of dozens of photos of Trump's wedding are available online through Google Images and Shutterstock, and a CNN review of photos found multiple photos with Epstein.
Donald Trump Epstein Exclusive
Alison Stern, Robin Leach, Jeffrey Epstein, Cecilia Nord and Howard Stern are seen at Donald Trump's wedding to Marla Maples in New York in December 1993. Note: CNN has highlighted a portion of this photo to more clearly identify Epstein in the picture. (DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock via CNN Newsource)
Together at a fashion show
The 1999 fashion show wasn't the first Victoria's Secret event the pair attended together. Two photos from Getty Images show Trump and Epstein appearing at a 1997 Angels party in New York, two years before the footage uncovered by CNN.
Epstein's presence at the 1999 fashion show also reflects his longstanding ties to Leslie Wexner, the billionaire founder of Victoria's Secret's parent company. Epstein managed Wexner's finances from 1987 to around 2007. The two later severed ties, and Wexner has said he was unaware of Epstein's alleged crimes during their association.
In 2002, Trump was quoted in a New York Magazine profile of Epstein — 'Jeffrey Epstein: International Moneyman of Mystery' — describing him as 'a terrific guy,' saying he's known Epstein for 15 years. 'It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side,' Trump said.
Trump flew on Epstein's jets between Palm Beach and New York, at least seven times according to flight logs.
In his 2004 book, 'Trump: How To Get Rich,' Trump wrote about taking a call from a man he named 'the mysterious Jeffrey.'
'As mysterious as Jeffrey is, he's one of the few people I know who can get by on just a first name. My staff never asks for a last name in his case, which in a way puts him up there with Elvis. Not that Elvis calls in much these days, but you never know,' Trump wrote.
It's unclear if the 'mysterious Jeffrey' is Epstein and White House did not address it in a comment to CNN.
Images published in the Palm Beach Post in 2000 also show Trump, Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell — who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking — and Prince Andrew in attendance at a charity fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported on a birthday message sent bearing Trump's name for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003. According to the Journal, it contained an outline of a naked woman and a typed note that ended with the line: 'Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.'
Donald Trump Epstein Exclusive
Donald Trump and Marla Maples are seen at their wedding in December 1993. (DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock via CNN Newsource)
Following the report, the Trump administration pledged to release grand jury materials related to Epstein. The federal judge overseeing Maxwell's case set a deadline for the Justice Department to provide information so he can determine whether to unseal the transcripts.
The Department of Justice also said Tuesday it has reached out to Maxwell for a meeting amid backlash over the administration's handling of files related to Epstein.
Maxwell's attorney told CNN they 'are in discussions with the government' on the matter. 'Ghislaine will always testify truthfully. We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case,' attorney David Oscar Markus said.
Trump has denied authoring the note and drawing, calling the report false. On Friday, he sued the newspaper for libel in federal court in Florida.
By Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck, CNN
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