Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
What did Donald Trump say about Jeffrey Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s?
Executive summary
Donald Trump repeatedly described Jeffrey Epstein in positive, social terms during the 1990s and early 2000s—calling him “a lot of fun to be with” and noting a long acquaintance (“I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years”), while later saying they had a falling-out and that Epstein “stole” people from his Mar‑a‑Lago club [1] [2] [3]. Reporting also documents photographs, flight logs and notes showing they socialized through the 1990s and early 2000s, and shows Trump later sought to distance himself after Epstein’s criminal conduct became public [4] [5] [6].
1. Early praise and social familiarity — “a lot of fun to be with”
Contemporaneous and retrospective reporting shows Trump and Epstein were socially close in the 1990s: The Guardian quotes Trump calling Epstein “a lot of fun to be with,” and notes the men were photographed together repeatedly in the 1990s [1]. Multiple outlets and timelines document that Trump said he had known Epstein for many years—“I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years”—an image consistent with frequent shared appearances at Mar‑a‑Lago, parties and events in New York and Palm Beach [2] [7].
2. Evidence of socializing: photos, flight logs, and notes
Beyond Trump’s own words, public records and reporting document ties in that era: flight logs show Trump and family members on Epstein’s plane in the mid‑1990s, and photos place them together at Victoria’s Secret events and at Mar‑a‑Lago [5] [4] [7]. Forbes and other outlets reported a 1997 note in which Trump called Epstein “the greatest,” and contemporaneous images from the late 1990s and 2000s reinforce that they moved in the same social circles then [4].
3. The shift — “not a fan” and the falling-out claim
After Epstein’s criminality became public and into the 2000s, Trump began to distance himself. Multiple outlets report Trump said their relationship “frayed” or ended in the early 2000s and that he was “not a fan” of Epstein’s later behavior [8] [6] [1]. He has publicly characterized the split as prompted by Epstein allegedly “steal[ing] people that worked for me,” a reference Trump made on Air Force One as recently reported [9] [3].
4. Denials of knowledge about crimes and political responses
Trump has consistently denied involvement in Epstein’s crimes; this denial is reported alongside his claims of a falling-out and a stated lack of knowledge about Epstein’s illegal conduct [10] [11]. Political actors and Trump allies frame the renewed scrutiny as partisan: House Republicans argue Democrats are using the Epstein investigation to attack Trump and say nothing new links him to wrongdoing [11]. Conversely, Democrats and reporters have emphasized the longstanding social ties and released documents that raise questions about the depth of the relationship [12] [9].
5. What sources document — and what they do not
Available reporting documents Trump’s socializing with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, direct quotes praising Epstein or describing their friendship, flight logs and photographs showing shared events, and Trump’s later public distancing [5] [4] [1] [6]. Available sources do not mention any contemporaneous public confession by Trump of knowledge about Epstein’s crimes; instead they record denials or distancing statements [10] [11]. If you are looking for definitive evidence tying Trump to Epstein’s criminal conduct, that specific claim is not established in the materials provided here—reporting documents association, praise in earlier years, and later distancing [2] [1].
6. Competing frames and implicit agendas
Reporting frames fall into two camps: news outlets documenting social ties and released documents that raise questions about proximity [12] [9], and political defenders who emphasize Trump’s breakup with Epstein and deny culpability as a way to deflect scrutiny [11]. Journalistic pieces like The Guardian and Reuters highlight both the photos/flight logs and Trump’s later distancing, while GOP statements stress that the investigation is being politicized [1] [12] [11]. Recognize that partisan actors have clear incentives: Democrats and some media outlets push for transparency on historical ties, while Trump allies cast releases as political attacks—both positions shape which facts are emphasized [12] [11].
7. Bottom line for readers
In the 1990s and early 2000s Trump publicly and privately portrayed Epstein as a social peer and at times praised him; later he said they fell out and denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, while recent document releases and reporting have reopened scrutiny of that earlier association [1] [2] [6]. The materials presented here document social closeness and subsequent distancing, but do not, in the provided reporting, supply evidence that Trump was implicated in Epstein’s criminal acts—investigative releases and partisan disputes shape how those facts are being interpreted today [9] [11].