During a recent appearance on the hugely popular Lex Fridman Podcast, US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was asked about the possible declassification of the controversial “Epstein Files”.
Clarifying his stance on the matter, the former president said he would be “inclined” to consider making the files public. Trump acknowledged that many powerful figures were associated with Jeffrey Epstein, but maintained that he was not friends with him.
During a June 2024 interview on Fox & Friends, Trump was asked whether he would declassify various federal records, including those related to 9/11, the JFK assassination, and Epstein.
While Trump quickly agreed to release records on 9/11 and JFK, he hesitated when it came to Epstein. “Think [Epstein] less because you don’t know, you don’t want to affect people’s lives if it’s fake stuff in there because it’s a lot of fake stuff with the whole world,” he said.
However, he later suggested that he might still consider it, particularly in light of the suspicious circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death.
Trump also expressed interest in revealing more details about Epstein’s death, calling it a “strange situation” due to the apparent malfunction of security cameras at the time.
“It would be interesting to know what happened there because it was a weird situation,” Trump mused, alluding to the ongoing mystery and speculation surrounding Epstein’s death.
Among the many names associated with the late financier, Trump has faced persistent questions about the nature of his relationship with Epstein.
His relationship with Epstein began in the late 1980s, although the extent of their friendship is still debated. Footage from 1992, revealed by NBC Newsshows the two men at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, engaging in light-hearted banter and insulting women.
Photos from 1992 and 1997 further demonstrate their social interactions, including a well-known image of Trump and his then-girlfriend Melania Knauss partying with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at Mar-a-Lago in February 2000.
In a 2002 interview with New York magazine, Trump praised Epstein, saying, “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Great guy. He is a lot of fun to be with. He is even said to like beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. There’s no doubt about it – Geoffrey enjoys his social life.”
Did Trump ever fly on Epstein’s plane?
According to flight logs, Trump was a passenger on Epstein’s plane at least seven times between 1993 and 1997. On some of those flights, Trump was accompanied by his then-wife Marla Maples and two of his young children.
However, in a January 2024 post on Truth Social, Trump denied those claims, stating, “I was never on Epstein’s plane or on his ‘stupid’ island.” Despite his denials, there is no evidence that Trump ever visited Epstein’s infamous Little Saint James Island in the US Virgin Islands.
Trump has repeatedly maintained that he and Epstein had a falling out long before Epstein was first arrested in Palm Beach in 2005. The reason for the alleged rift between Trump and Epstein is unclear. Some reports suggest that a dispute over a valuable property in Palm Beach led to the end of their friendship.
However, when asked about their relationship after Epstein was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019, Trump downplayed their relationship, claiming, “I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him.” He added: “I had an argument with him. I haven’t spoken to him in 15 years. I wasn’t a fan of it, I can tell you.”
Additionally, it was reported by the Miami Herald that during Trump’s 2024 campaign, his team mistakenly used a Gulfstream jet once owned by Epstein after Trump’s private jet experienced mechanical problems. The plane was used to attend several campaign fundraisers in August 2024.
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