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.
Have either Trump or Clinton publicly commented on rumors of a romantic relationship between them?
Executive summary
Public reporting shows Donald Trump has publicly pushed allegations and demanded investigations tying Jeffrey Epstein to Bill Clinton in November 2025; Trump explicitly said he would ask the Justice Department and FBI to probe Epstein’s ties to Clinton [1] and repeated that demand on Truth Social and in statements summarized by multiple outlets [2] [3]. Available sources do not report either Bill Clinton or Hillary Clinton answering a specific rumor that Trump and Clinton had a romantic relationship; Clinton’s team has denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and said emails “prove Bill Clinton did nothing and knew nothing” [1] [3].
1. Trump publicly raised the lurid rumor and ordered probes
In mid-November 2025, President Trump publicly seized on newly released Epstein-related emails and urged Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Department of Justice and the FBI to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s connections to Bill Clinton — framing the move as retaliation against Democrats and a way to deflect scrutiny of his own ties to Epstein [2] [3]. Reuters reports the Justice Department said it would fulfill Trump’s request to probe Epstein ties with Clinton and others after Trump pressed the issue [1]. Coverage across outlets quoted Trump’s social posts and statements demanding probes and alleging Democrats were weaponizing the “Epstein Hoax” [2] [3] [4].
2. Media found a bizarre Epstein email that sparked speculation about “Bubba”
House-released Epstein emails contained a line referencing “Bubba” and an insinuation involving Trump that went viral online; some social-media commenters and outlets suggested “Bubba” might mean Bill Clinton (whose nickname is Bubba), prompting speculation about sexually explicit scenarios [5] [6] [4]. Reporting makes clear the email language is ambiguous and commentators openly debated whether it was a joke, a reference to Clinton, or something else [6].
3. Clinton’s team publicly denied wrongdoing and rejected the implication
Bill Clinton’s office responded to the email releases by saying Clinton “knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago” and that the newly released material “prove[s] Bill Clinton did nothing and knew nothing,” according to his deputy chief of staff and spokesperson statements quoted in Reuters and other outlets [1] [3]. That response addresses association with Epstein and alleged criminality; it does not acknowledge or entertain rumors of a romantic or sexual relationship between Clinton and Trump specifically in the texts provided [1] [3].
4. Available reporting documents deflection and political motive claims on all sides
Multiple outlets frame Trump’s insistence on investigating Clinton as a political countermove aimed at shifting attention from his own Epstein ties and recent political pressures [2] [3]. Reuters and Axios note critics called Trump’s order to the DOJ politically improper and an effort to change the narrative after House Democrats released the emails; JPMorgan and Clinton spokespeople characterised Trump’s push as a distraction [1] [2].
5. No sourced record here of Clinton or Hillary directly addressing a Trump–Clinton romantic rumor
In the set of articles provided, there is no direct quote from Bill Clinton or Hillary Clinton acknowledging or responding to a rumor that they had a romantic relationship with Donald Trump; available sources instead focus on denials of wrongdoing or statements about Epstein ties generally [1] [3] [7]. If you want confirmation of whether either Clinton has explicitly commented on a sexual/romantic rumor involving Trump, that specific claim is not found in the current reporting (not found in current reporting).
6. Historical context: social ties and public confrontations complicate interpretations
Reporting and past coverage show the Trumps and Clintons have socialized publicly in earlier years (for example at weddings and social events), and both sides have used sexual allegations about the other politically in prior campaigns — Trump met with women who accused Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct in 2016 and Clinton has at times rebuked Trump’s conduct toward women [8] [9] [10]. That background helps explain why ambiguous email lines and resurfaced pictures produce rapid political exploitation rather than calm factual adjudication [8] [9] [10].
7. How to evaluate further: what to look for in follow-up reporting
To move beyond speculation, look for direct quotes from Bill or Hillary Clinton explicitly addressing any romantic-rumor allegation, primary-source documents (the full email text, authenticated context), and DOJ or FBI statements clarifying the scope of any probe launched at Trump’s request [1]. Absent those, published denials about Epstein-related wrongdoing (as cited) address association and knowledge but do not amount to responses to the specific romantic allegation — a distinction reporters emphasized across outlets [1] [3].
Limitations and note on sources: this analysis is limited to the set of articles provided; these sources document Trump’s public demands and Clinton’s denials about Epstein ties but do not contain a direct quote from Bill or Hillary Clinton responding to a rumor that either had a romantic relationship with Trump (not found in current reporting).