How many times does Jeffrey Epstein's flight log list Donald Trump?
Executive summary
Multiple reputable reports based on the February 2025 Department of Justice release show Donald Trump appears in Jeffrey Epstein’s flight logs between seven and eight times; several outlets — People, Cleveland.com, Times of India and others — report seven entries specifically, while the Palm Beach Post reported at least eight flights in related aviation records [1] [2] [3] [4]. Available sources do not provide a single definitive count agreed on by every outlet and note that a name on a log is not proof of wrongdoing [1] [2].
1. What the document dump actually contained
The DOJ release in February 2025 included more than 100 pages of materials — flight logs, a redacted contact book, a masseuse list and an evidence list from the Maxwell trial — that prompted renewed media attention about who appears in Epstein’s records [5] [6]. Multiple outlets parsed those files and focused on recurring high-profile names, including Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, which were present both in the contact list and in flight manifests [7] [6].
2. The headline numbers: seven vs. eight
Several mainstream outlets report Trump’s name appears seven times in the batch of flight logs released in February 2025: People and Cleveland.com explicitly cite seven entries, and the Times of India summarizes the same “at least seven” figure from the released manifests [1] [2] [3]. By contrast, the Palm Beach Post — drawing on flight logs and other aviation records tied to earlier lawsuits and releases — reports Trump flew on Epstein’s planes at least eight times [4]. The discrepancy reflects different document sets and counting methods used by news organizations [4] [1].
3. Why counts can differ — record scope and interpretation
Reporters used different sources and cutoffs. The DOJ “Phase 1” release was one set of pages; other counts draw on flight logs released earlier in lawsuits, civil cases, or trial exhibits that predate or supplement the DOJ package. Pilots’ shorthand (initials, first names), duplicated pages, and cross-referencing between evidence lists and manifests mean one journalist’s seven can be another’s eight depending on whether they count distinct flights, round trips, or name variants [6] [4]. Available sources do not supply a single, unified manifest that settles all discrepancies.
4. What the presence of a name does — and does not — prove
News organizations stress that appearing on a flight log is not an allegation of criminal conduct. People and Cleveland.com explicitly note that names on manifests are not by themselves evidence of wrongdoing; the logs may reflect social, business or other legitimate travel [1] [2]. Sources documenting Trump’s appearance also cite past public interactions between Trump and Epstein from the 1990s and early 2000s, but they do not present proof in the released files that Trump engaged in Epstein’s criminal activity [1] [2].
5. Broader context and competing narratives
Some reporting emphasizes how the releases expanded public knowledge of Epstein’s network; others stress political implications because the release occurred under a Trump administration official (Attorney General Pam Bondi) and because Trump himself had publicly known Epstein years earlier [5] [6]. Outlets differ in framing: some highlight the number as a straightforward tally of flights, others underline caveats and the absence of criminal links to Trump in the released materials [5] [2].
6. How to interpret the reporting going forward
Expect small revisions as journalists reconcile overlapping document sets. If you need a definitive tally for litigation or rigorous historical accounting, consult the primary flight manifests and exhibit indices directly rather than secondary summaries; news outlets are summarizing complex stacks of documents and sometimes rely on different slices of the record [6] [4]. Available sources do not mention a single, universally agreed-upon count that settles the seven vs. eight difference.
Sources cited: Department of Justice releases and reporting summarized by People, Cleveland.com, Times of India, Palm Beach Post and Axios as referenced above [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6].