Trump and Epstein: What was their relationship?
21 Jul 2025 09:15am
US President Donald Trump arrives to sign the GENIUS Act (Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins Act), which codifies the use of stablecoins -- cryptocurrencies pegged to stable assets like the US dollar or US bonds -- in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 18, 2025. - (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
WASHINGTON - Donald Trump's past ties with Jeffrey Epstein are under scrutiny after the US president slammed a Wall Street Journal report that he sent a lewd letter to the infamous sex offender as "fake news."
AFP looks at the pair's relationship as the Trump administration also faces demands to release all government files on Epstein's alleged crimes and his death.
- Parties and private jets -
Trump, then a property mogul and self-styled playboy, appears to have known Epstein, a wealthy money manager, since the 1990s.
They partied together in 1992 with NFL cheerleaders at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, according to footage from NBC News, which shows the pair talking and laughing.
The same year, Epstein was Trump's only guest at a "calendar girl" competition he hosted involving more than two dozen young women, The New York Times reported.
In a display of their close ties, Trump flew on Epstein's private jet at least seven times during the 1990s, according to flight logs presented in court and cited by US media.
He has denied this, and in 2024 said he was "never on Epstein's plane."
In 1993, according to The New York Times, Trump allegedly groped swimsuit model Stacey Williams after Epstein introduced them at Trump Tower -- a claim the president has refuted.
Separate from his links to Epstein, Trump has been accused of sexual misconduct by around 20 women.
In 2023, he was found liable of sexually abusing and defaming American journalist E. Jean Carroll in a civil trial.
- 'Terrific guy' -
Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's main accusers who died by suicide this year, said she was recruited into his alleged sex-trafficking network aged 17 while working at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in 2000.
Giuffre claimed she was approached there by Ghislaine Maxwell, who was jailed in 2022 for helping Epstein sexually abuse girls. US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman points to a photo of Jeffrey Epstein while announcing charges against Epstein during a news conference on July 8, 2019 in New York City. - (Photo by STEPHANIE KEITH / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
Trump seemed to be on good terms with Epstein during this time, praising him as a "terrific guy" in a 2002 New York Magazine profile.
"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," Trump said.
In 2003, according to a Wall Street Journal report, Trump penned a letter for Epstein's 50th birthday featuring a drawing of a naked woman, with his signature "Donald" mimicking pubic hair.
His apparent message -- Trump dismissed the letter as a "fake thing" -- read: "Happy Birthday -- and may every day be another wonderful secret."
- 'I wasn't a fan' -
The pair reportedly had a rupture in 2004 as they competed to buy a waterfront property in Florida, which Trump eventually snagged.
The two men were hardly seen together in public from that point. Trump would later say in 2019 that they had a "falling out" and hadn't spoken in 15 years.
Shortly after the property auction, police launched a probe that saw Epstein jailed in 2008 for 13 months for soliciting an underage prostitute.
He was arrested again in 2019 after he was accused of trafficking girls as young as 14 and engaging in sexual acts with them.
Trump, then serving his first term as president, sought to distance himself from his old friend.
"I wasn't a fan," he told reporters when the charges were revealed.
In 2019, Epstein was found hanging dead in his prison cell awaiting trial. Authorities said he died by suicide.
Since then, Trump has latched onto and fueled conspiracy theories that global elites including former president Bill Clinton were involved in Epstein's crimes or death.
Those same theories now threaten to destabilise Trump's administration, despite his attempts to dismiss the saga as a "hoax" created by political adversaries.- Ben Turner / AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
2nd LD Writethru: U.S., EU seal trade deal amid concerns over tariff imbalance
LONDON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen claimed Sunday that they had reached a trade deal under which the United States would impose a baseline tariff of 15 percent on European Union (EU) goods. The announcement was made at a joint press briefing Sunday afternoon following trade talks at the Trump Turnberry in South Ayrshire, Scotland. Although both leaders described the deal as a step toward restoring "trade balance" and promoting more equitable two-way commerce, the agreement allows the United States to impose a broad 15 percent tariff on EU goods while securing zero-tariff access for a range of strategic American exports. In contrast, the EU has pledged to purchase 750 billion U.S. dollars' worth of American energy and commit an additional 600 billion U.S. dollars in investments in the United States. At the press briefing, Trump claimed the agreement would enable American cars to re-enter the European market and make U.S. agricultural exports more accessible in the EU. He also said that pharmaceuticals were excluded from the agreement, while existing 50 percent tariffs on EU steel and aluminium exports to the United States will remain in place. However, at a separate press briefing, von der Leyen clarified that the EU and the U.S. had agreed to include pharmaceuticals under the 15 percent tariff framework. She did not rule out the possibility of further U.S. trade actions in the future. When asked whether a 15 percent tariff for EU carmakers-up from 2.5 percent under the Biden administration-was a favorable outcome, von der Leyen responded that, prior to this agreement, European vehicles faced a total tariff of 27.5 percent when entering the U.S. market. This included a 25 percent levy imposed during Trump's previous term in addition to the original 2.5 percent. The new 15 percent rate, she argued, represents a reduction from that level. Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade, criticized the newly reached deal as "unsatisfactory" and "significantly imbalanced," warning that it could undermine the EU's economic stability and job security. "This is a deal with a slant. Clearly, concessions have been made that are difficult to bear," Lange said in a statement on Sunday. Prior to the agreement, over 70 percent of EU exports to the United States were subject to tariffs, including 50 percent on steel and aluminium, 25 percent on automobiles and parts, and a 10 percent duty on most other goods. Trump had warned that if no deal was reached by Aug. 1, the 10 percent tariff would be raised to 30 percent.
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
EU-U.S. tariff deal "unsatisfactory," "imbalanced": senior EU lawmaker
BRUSSELS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- A senior European lawmaker has sharply criticized a draft trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the United States, warning that it could undermine the bloc's economic stability and job security. Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade, described the proposed framework, which includes a 15-percent tariff on all EU exports to the United States, as "unsatisfactory" and "significantly imbalanced." The tariff rate, he noted, would represent a fourfold increase over current average levels, while the EU would commit to zero tariffs on U.S. goods. "This is a deal with a slant. Clearly, concessions have been made that are difficult to bear," Lange said in a statement on Sunday. U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced earlier in the day that they had reached a trade agreement under which the United States would impose a baseline tariff of 15 percent on EU goods. Although both leaders described the deal as a step toward restoring "trade balance" and promoting more equitable two-way commerce, the agreement allows Washington to levy broad tariffs while securing zero-tariff access for a range of strategic American exports. In contrast, the EU has pledged to purchase 750 billion U.S. dollars' worth of American energy and commit an additional 600 billion U.S. dollars in investments in the United States. Lange noted that while Trump publicly declared a blanket 15-percent tariff during remarks following the talks, he had earlier explicitly excluded certain sectors, including steel and pharmaceuticals. He added that increased European purchases of U.S. energy, particularly liquefied natural gas, were anticipated, as the EU continues efforts to reduce its reliance on Russian fossil fuels. However, Lange criticized the 600 billion dollars in planned additional investments, including increased funding for U.S. military technology, calling such measures contrary to European economic interests. He likened the pressure tactics used in the deal to those Washington employed in recent negotiations with Japan. "Overall, this deal will contribute to weakening the EU's economic development and harming its gross domestic product," he said.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
1st LD: U.S., EU reach trade deal: Trump, EU chief
LONDON, July 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen claimed Sunday that they had reached a trade deal under which the United States would impose a baseline tariff of 15 percent on European Union (EU) goods. The announcement was made at a joint press briefing Sunday afternoon following trade talks at the Trump Turnberry in South Ayrshire, Scotland. Pharmaceuticals were excluded from the agreement, while existing 50 percent tariffs on EU steel and aluminium exports to the United States will remain in place. Although both leaders described the deal as a step toward restoring "trade balance" and promoting more equitable two-way commerce, the agreement allows the United States to impose a broad 15 percent tariff on EU goods while securing zero-tariff access for a range of strategic American exports. In contrast, the EU has pledged to purchase 750 billion U.S. dollars' worth of American energy and commit an additional 600 billion U.S. dollars in investments in the United States. At the press briefing, Trump claimed the agreement would enable American cars to re-enter the European market and make U.S. agricultural exports more accessible in the EU.
