Fact check: Did Donald Trump say that society should get over pedophilia

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, there is no direct evidence that Donald Trump explicitly said "society should get over pedophilia." However, the sources reveal a more nuanced picture regarding Trump's statements about the Jeffrey Epstein case.

The closest documented statement comes from sources indicating that Trump said it was "unbelievable" that Americans were still talking about Epstein and urged the public to move on ^[1]. This represents Trump's attempt to redirect public attention away from the Epstein controversy rather than a direct endorsement of overlooking pedophilia as a societal issue.

Multiple sources confirm that Trump has attempted to downplay and change the subject when questioned about Jeffrey Epstein ^[2], and has made efforts to distance himself from Epstein and his crimes ^[3]. The analyses consistently show Trump's pattern of deflection regarding the Epstein case rather than any explicit statement about pedophilia acceptance.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks crucial context about Trump's documented relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Sources reveal that Epstein made detailed allegations about Trump's conduct towards women ^[4], and there are documented connections between the two men that Trump has sought to minimize ^[3].

Elon Musk has made claims about Trump's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, contributing to the controversy surrounding this topic ^[5]. This suggests that powerful figures like Musk may benefit from keeping Epstein-related controversies in the public discourse to potentially damage Trump politically.

Conversely, Trump and his supporters would benefit from society moving past the Epstein controversy entirely, as continued focus on these connections could be politically damaging. The sources show Trump's consistent strategy of urging the public to stop discussing Epstein ^[1].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question appears to contain significant potential for misinformation by suggesting Trump made a direct statement about "getting over pedophilia" when no such explicit quote exists in the analyzed sources. This framing could be:

• Deliberately misleading - transforming Trump's comments about moving past the Epstein discussion into a broader statement about pedophilia acceptance
• Based on misinterpretation - conflating Trump's desire to end Epstein-related discussions with endorsing tolerance of pedophilia
• Politically motivated - designed to create a damaging narrative regardless of factual accuracy

The question's phrasing suggests a binary yes/no answer to a complex situation where Trump's actual documented statements were about ending discussion of the Epstein case specifically, not about societal attitudes toward pedophilia in general. This oversimplification could serve to spread misinformation regardless of how it's answered.