Which specific flight logs in the Epstein files list Donald Trump and what corroborating details do they include?
Executive summary
The Department of Justice release of so-called Epstein files includes a January 7, 2020 email from an assistant U.S. attorney stating that flight records list "Donald Trump" as a passenger on at least eight flights between 1993 and 1996, and that on at least four of those flights Ghislaine Maxwell was also present [1] [2]. The underlying handwritten flight logs and related DOJ documents name Trump on multiple entries — including a clearly cited August 13, 1995 Palm Beach to Teterboro flight listing Donald Trump and his son Eric — but the files are partially redacted, sometimes hard to read, and the prosecutor’s note explicitly did not allege criminal conduct [2] [1] [3].
1. The records and their provenance: what was released and who flagged Trump’s name
The references to Trump emerge from a tranche of DOJ material that includes an assistant U.S. attorney’s internal email summarizing newly received flight records and noting that Trump “traveled on Epstein’s private jet many more times than previously has been reported,” a message that became public as part of the Justice Department’s larger Epstein release [1] [4]. News organizations reviewing the DOJ release — including PBS, Reuters, BBC and The Guardian — corroborated the AUSA’s summary and reported multiple flight-log entries bearing Trump’s name in the 1990s [5] [3] [2] [4].
2. Which specific logs and dates are identifiable in reporting
Public reporting and compiled summaries identify at least eight entries spanning the mid-1990s; one widely circulated list of dates drawn from flight logs cites April 23, 1993; October 11, 1993; October 17, 1993; May 15, 1994; August 13, 1995; and January 5, 1997, with some outlets differing by one or two entries depending on whether near‑consecutive legs were treated as distinct flights [6]. The DOJ email itself emphasized “at least eight flights between 1993 and 1996” and singled out a 1993 entry where Trump and Epstein were the only two named passengers [1] [5].
3. Corroborating details within the logs: other passengers, routes and redactations
Several reports note corroborating particulars from the logs and related DOJ notes: one flight (August 13, 1995) has been reported as from PBI (Palm Beach International) to TEB (Teterboro) and lists both Donald Trump and Eric Trump among the passengers in the handwritten log released by DOJ [2]. Other entries reportedly list Epstein alongside Trump and a redacted 20‑year‑old passenger on a 1993 trip, and at least two additional flights included women later identified as possible witnesses in the Maxwell case, according to the prosecutor’s summary [5] [3]. News outlets stress that many names and images in the multi‑million‑page release were redacted and that some handwritten logs are difficult to decipher, complicating independent verification [2] [7].
4. Interpretations, denials and legal context
The AUSA’s internal note did not allege criminal conduct by Trump and the DOJ’s release does not equate presence on a manifest with wrongdoing; several outlets explicitly cite that caveat and the department’s earlier statements [1] [3]. Trump has disputed broader allegations about Epstein and has at times denied flying on Epstein’s plane, while media commentators and allies pushed conflicting narratives about what the files prove — a mix of denials, political spin and selective emphasis that outside reporters warned to treat cautiously [8] [9] [10]. The New York Times further documented thousands of Epstein‑related records referencing Trump, some unverified or salacious, underscoring the difference between flight-log entries and substantiated allegations [10].
5. What the public files do not settle and where the evidence is strongest
The strongest, document‑level evidence in the released tranche is the handwritten entry and accompanying metadata cited by DOJ and media — notably the August 13, 1995 PBI→TEB log showing Trump and Eric Trump [2] — and the assistant U.S. attorney’s contemporaneous summary noting at least eight listings [1]. What the release does not provide in full, according to reporting, are uniformly legible, fully annotated manifests for every listed date, unredacted passenger identities for all flights, or prosecutorial findings tying any listed presence to criminal activity; journalists and the DOJ alike emphasize those limits [2] [7] [1].