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 Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton ever publicly addressed rumors about a romantic relationship between them?
Executive summary
Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have been central figures in internet rumors tying them romantically to various people, but the specific claim about a romantic relationship between Trump and Hillary Clinton is not documented in the provided reporting. Coverage here centers on a separate viral “Bubba” email that mentioned “Trump” and “Bubba” (a nickname commonly associated with Bill Clinton) — Mark Epstein says that reference was a joke and not about Bill Clinton, and the newly released Epstein emails and related reporting focus on Trump’s and Bill Clinton’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein rather than any Trump–Hillary romance [1] [2].
1. No direct evidence in these reports that Trump or Clinton addressed a rumor about a Trump–Hillary romance
The documents and pieces in the search results discuss an email exchange in the Epstein archive that referenced “Trump” and “Bubba,” which set off speculation about Bill Clinton — not Hillary Clinton — and did not show either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton publicly addressing a rumor that they had a romantic relationship with one another. Mark Epstein explicitly told reporters the “Bubba” reference was not to Bill Clinton and described the exchange as a joke between brothers [1]. The reporting that follows the email release concentrates on Epstein ties to Trump and Bill Clinton, not an affair between Trump and Hillary Clinton [2].
2. What the “Bubba” email actually prompted: public speculation about Bill Clinton, not Hillary
Multiple outlets picked up a line in the released Epstein-related correspondence that mentioned “photos of Trump blowing Bubba,” which many readers interpreted as a possible reference to Bill Clinton because “Bubba” is a known Clinton nickname. That interpretation fueled viral social-media memes and conspiracy chatter; reporting highlights that the phrase provoked speculation and humor more than substantiated claims [3] [4]. Mark Epstein pushed back, telling The Advocate the exchange was private joking and that “Bubba” was not a reference to Bill Clinton [1].
3. Reporting focuses on Epstein ties and official denials, not romantic rumors between Trump and Hillary
News outlets in the set emphasize connections and disputes over Jeffrey Epstein’s relationships with powerful people. Reuters and BBC coverage documents President Trump asking the Justice Department to probe Epstein’s ties to Bill Clinton and other Democrats, as part of a broader political confrontation and not a response to a romantic-rumor narrative involving Hillary Clinton [5] [6]. NBC and Al Jazeera pieces similarly frame the developments as investigations, denials and political maneuvering around Epstein rather than admissions or denials of a Trump–Hillary romance [7] [8].
4. How principals have responded — denials, deflections, and political motives
When public figures are implicated, responses in these reports range from categorical denials to requests for official probes. Mark Epstein’s statement directly refutes the viral reading of his brother’s email [1]. President Trump has directed the Justice Department to investigate Epstein’s alleged ties to Democrats, which reporters and Democrats interpret as an effort to shift focus from scrutiny of Trump’s own Epstein connections [5] [6]. The sources show competing political aims: Trump’s push for probes can be read as deflection by his opponents, while Trump frames it as seeking accountability [5] [6].
5. Visual and AI-manipulated material added fuel to online rumor cycles
Separate fact-checking and media reports note that images and even AI-generated videos—using photos of Trump and Bill Clinton together—circulated with misleading captions or edits that amplified conspiratorial readings of their relationship. Fact-checkers concluded that key photos were genuine but misdescribed (hand hovering vs. groping), and some manipulated videos relied on old images, which helped the viral spread of salacious theories [9] [3].
6. Limits of the available reporting — what we do not know from these sources
Available sources do not mention any instance in which Hillary Clinton herself publicly addressed a rumor that she and Donald Trump were romantically involved. The materials focus on an email mentioning “Bubba,” Mark Epstein’s clarification, Epstein’s ties to several powerful figures, and political fallout — not a Trump–Hillary romance claim or public responses by Hillary Clinton to such a claim [1] [2]. If you seek confirmation of any direct statements from Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump explicitly responding to a rumor that they were romantically linked to each other, those statements are not found in the current reporting [1] [2].
Bottom line: the recent surge of social-media speculation grew from ambiguous email text and repurposed images; reporting in these sources treats Mark Epstein’s “Bubba” line as a private joke about an unspecified person (not Bill Clinton, per Mark Epstein) and follows politics around Epstein investigations — it does not document Trump or Hillary Clinton publicly addressing a romantic rumor between them [1] [2].