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Euronews
2 hours ago
- Euronews
What are the Epstein files Musk accuses Trump of being mentioned in?
'Time to drop the really big bomb: Trump is in the Epstein files," Elon Musk posted on the social media platform X on Thursday in a move that could potentially sever his close friendship with US President Donald Trump. From key ally to the US president to arch enemy almost overnight, Musk has fallen out with Trump over the president's "Big Beautiful Bill". Musk, who funded Trump's election campaign and led the controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has just recently departed the agency and the Trump administration, as he increasingly publicly criticised what he said was a "disgusting abomination" that will "burden American citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt.' Following a series of tweets on the matter, Musk went so far as to accuse Trump without providing evidence of being included in the infamous files — which Trump himself demanded be released, as they purportedly contain the names of a number of high-profile political and business figures in the US and abroad linked to a sexual exploitation scheme involving minors. Trump, whose administration promised to release the Epstein Files, has rejected Musk's allegations, telling reporters Musk had "lost his mind". There is no evidence of his participation in illegal activities with Jeffrey Epstein. An influential US financier, Epstein came under significant public scrutiny after he was accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls in the early 2000s, but wound up serving just 13 months in jail. He was indicted on federal charges in New York in 2019, more than a decade after he secretly struck a deal with federal prosecutors in Florida to dispose of similar charges of sex trafficking. The case has drawn widespread attention because of Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell's links to royals, presidents and billionaires. Maxwell herself is the daughter of the late British media tycoon Robert Maxwell, who once owned the New York Daily News. Over the years, thousands of pages of records have been released through lawsuits, Epstein's criminal dockets, public disclosures and Freedom of Information Act requests. In January 2024, a court unsealed the final batch of a trove of documents that had been collected as evidence in a lawsuit filed by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre. Much of the material, including transcripts of victim interviews and old police reports, had already been publicly known. They included mentions of Trump, former US President Bill Clinton, Britain's Prince Andrew and magician David Copperfield, as well as testimony from one victim who said she met Michael Jackson at Epstein's Florida home, but nothing untoward happened with him. The previously released files included a 2016 deposition in which an accuser recounted spending several hours with Epstein at Trump's Atlantic City casino. However, the documents did not state whether she had actually met Trump or accused him of any wrongdoing. Trump and Epstein have been friends since the late 1980s, when both men were part of the socialite circles in New York. Over the years, the two have partied at Mar-a-Lago, a Palm Beach estate that Trump purchased in 1995, and attended a Victoria's Secret show together. The US president has said in the past that he thought Epstein was a 'terrific guy,' but that they later had a falling out in 2004, reportedly over a botched real estate deal. "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 told New York Magazine in 2002. Trump has since said he "wasn't a fan" of Epstein. According to media reports, since Epstein's sexual exploitation ring became public, Trump offered support and provided evidence against his once-friend. Epstein did not hold back since the two fell out, either. Trump biographer Michael Wolff last year released tapes of interviews with Epstein, in which he called the US president 'functionally illiterate' and a "horrible human being". The US president's team has rejected allegations of any connection between the two in recent years, stating Wolff — whose tapes showed Epstein knew some details of the inner workings of the first Trump administration between 2017 and 2021 — was "a disgraced writer who routinely fabricates lies". Musk has also been connected to Epstein. Like Trump, in 2014, he was photographed with Epstein's partner Maxwell at a party. Epstein died in apparent suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial on criminal charges at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. The US Justice Department's Inspector General said that his suicide was the end result of 'combination of negligence, misconduct and outright job performance failures' by the US Federal Bureau of Prisons and jail workers. The watchdog report found no evidence of foul play. Maxwell was sentenced in 2022 to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking related to her role in Epstein's abuse and exploitation scheme. She lost her appeal in September 2024. While the US president has faced multiple sexual assault accusations in the past, he has rejected all allegations as part of media bias or political smear campaigns. In December 2024, a judgment was upheld against Trump for defamation and sexual abuse of writer E Jean Carroll in 1995 or 1996. The sentencing carried a penalty of $5 million (€4.4m). Dozens of human rights activists took to the streets of the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Thursday to protest against the murder of 17-year-old TikTok influencer, Sana Yousuf. The protest comes after the man accused of killing the teenager made his first court appearance on Wednesday, officials and police said. "Why are there so few people present here at this protest rally today? Why is the whole of Pakistan not standing up and speaking out in protest? This is something which impacts and affects everyone," activist Tahira Abdullah said. The suspect, 22-year-old Umar Hayat who also creates content on TikTok, was arrested on Tuesday by police in Faisalabad, an industrial city in eastern Punjab province. He is accused of shooting Yousuf, who had more than 1 million followers on social media. Authorities believe he broke into her home after she rejected his offer of friendship. The killing earlier this week in Islamabad drew widespread condemnation. TV footage showed Hayat with his face covered as he was brought to court, where police requested additional time to complete their investigation and file formal murder charges. The judge ordered that Hayat be presented again on June 18 for pretrial proceedings. Yousuf, originally from the scenic northern region of Chitral, was known for promoting traditional Chitrali music and dress through her videos. She also advocated for girls' education. Hours before her murder, she had posted a photo celebrating her birthday with friends. TikTok has more than 60 million users in Pakistan, many of them young women and teenagers.
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Trump has no plans to call Musk, White House says after feud
Trump lobbed fresh insults at the South African-born Musk a day after the fiery implosion of their unlikely political marriage, saying the tech tycoon had "lost his mind." In a telling symbol of how their relationship had deteriorated, the president was even considering selling or giving away a Tesla he had bought to show support for Musk amid protests against the company. The row exploded on Thursday when Trump said he was "very disappointed" by Musk and threatened to end his government contracts, after his ex-aide criticized the president's flagship budget bill as an "abomination." Reports had emerged that Musk and Trump would speak by phone on Friday in a bid to patch up the damaging public row, but the White House scotched such speculation. "The president does not intend to speak to Musk today," a senior White House official told AFP on condition of anonymity when asked if the feuding pair planned to speak. Trump told broadcaster ABC in a phone call earlier Friday that he was "not particularly interested" in talking to Musk. "You mean the man who has lost his mind?" ABC quoted Trump as saying. Trump, who once called Musk a "genius", branded him "crazy" on social media on Thursday. Fallout The row could have major political and economic fallout, as shares in Musk's Tesla car company seesaw and the SpaceX boss vowed that he would end a critical US spaceship program. The White House called a special meeting on Thursday to discuss how to handle the crisis with Musk, a government source told AFP on condition of anonymity. Trump meanwhile may ditch the red Tesla that he bought from Musk's firm at the height of their relationship. The electric vehicle was still parked on the White House grounds on Friday. "He's thinking about it, yes," the senior White House official told AFP when asked if Trump would sell or give away the Tesla. Trump and Musk had posed inside the car at a bizarre event in March, when the US president turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla showroom after protests against Musk's government role tanked the firm shares. Speculation had long swirled that a relationship between two big egos like the president and the tycoon could not last long -- but the speed of the meltdown took Washington by surprise. Trump said in a televised Oval Office diatribe on Thursday that he was "very disappointed" after his former top donor criticized his "big, beautiful" spending bill before Congress. The pair then hurled insults at each other on social media -- with Musk even posting, without proof, that Trump was referenced in government documents on disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Trump may get rid of his Tesla after Musk row: official
The red electric vehicle, which retails for around $80,000, was still in a parking lot on the White House grounds on Friday, an AFP reporter said, a day after the very public meltdown between Trump and the South African-born tech tycoon. "He's thinking about it, yes," a senior White House official told AFP when asked if the Republican would sell or give away the Tesla. Tesla stocks had tanked more than 14 percent on Thursday amid the row, losing some $100 billion of the company's market value, but leapt back in early trading Friday. Trump, who does not drive as a president, said he was buying the Tesla in March to boost support for his mega-donor, whose brand -- and bottom line -- has been hit hard by public outrage over his role in slashing US government jobs. At a choreographed publicity stunt that turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla showroom, Trump praised the EV as a "great product" and lashed out on social media at "Radical Left" attacks against the world's richest person and his company. Trump's Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and another senior aide posed in the car as recently as last week, in a photograph posted on Musk's social media network X. "Taking President Trump's Tesla out for a ride," Trump's communications advisor Margo Martin posted. But the shiny red vehicle has now become an awkward symbol of the fiery political divorce between Trump, 78, and former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Musk, 53. Trump said he was "very disappointed" by Musk and threatened to end his government contracts after his ex-aide criticized the president's flagship budget and policy mega-bill as an "abomination."
