What Trump has said about Jeffrey Epstein over the years, including on 2024 campaign trail
"2019: Trump distances himself from Epstein: 'Not a fan'
After Epstein was arrested and charged with sex trafficking of minors in July 2019, Trump was asked about his 2002 comments in which he called Epstein "terrific" in a New York Magazine story.
In response, Trump repeatedly said he wasn't a "fan" of Epstein.
"Well, I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "I mean, people in Palm Beach knew him. He was a fixture in Palm Beach. I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don't think I've spoken to him for 15 years. I wasn't a fan. I was not, yeah, a long time ago, I'd say maybe 15 years. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you. I was not a fan of his."
In August 2019, after Epstein's death, Trump retweeted a post that alleged Bill Clinton was connected to Epstein's death.
When asked about his retweet in an interview, Trump said "what we're saying is we want an investigation. I want a full investigation, and that's what I absolutely am demanding. That's what our attorney general -- our great attorney general -- is doing." The attorney general at the time was Bill Barr."
"2025: Trump tries to dismiss Epstein files after DOJ, FBI memo prompts GOP backlash
For the first several months of his administration, talk of the Epstein files was mostly left to Trump officials, including Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino. In April, Trump said he was unaware of when the files would be released.
Then, after the DOJ and FBI released their memo on July 7, Trump reacted to outrage from his MAGA base.
Trump tried to shut down a question about Epstein during a Cabinet meeting the next day, July 8, right after the deadly flash flooding of the Guadalupe River.
"Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?" Trump shot back to a reporter. "This guy's been talked about for years. You're asking. We have Texas, we have this. We have all of the things. And are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable."
Quite a turnaround in attitude towards releasing the files.
Trump faces backlash from MAGA supporters over his admin's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Here's what he's said about the disgraced financier over the years.
abcnews.go.com