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Do flight logs show Donald Trump on Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet or at his island in the 1990s–2000s?
Executive summary
Flight logs released in court and later posted by the Department of Justice show Donald Trump’s name on Jeffrey Epstein’s private-plane manifests multiple times in the 1990s — commonly reported as seven appearances across the early-to-mid 1990s (flight logs made public during the Maxwell trial and DOJ document dumps) [1] [2] [3]. Available reporting across news organizations and fact‑checkers finds no documentation in those flight logs or the public Epstein files that Trump visited Epstein’s private island, Little St. James [3] [4] [5].
1. Flight logs place Trump on Epstein’s planes — what the records say
Multiple outlets that examined court and DOJ releases report Trump’s name on Epstein’s flight manifests from the 1990s; several accounts count seven separate appearances including flights in 1993–1997 and trips that included family members (Marla Maples, Tiffany, Eric) on domestic legs between Palm Beach and New York/New Jersey [2] [6] [4]. The Department of Justice’s February 2025 release included flight logs among the more than 100 pages of material it disclosed [7] [8]. Reporting from People, Newsweek and others cites specific dates from the logs and notes entries produced during Maxwell’s trial and other court proceedings [9] [2].
2. No flight‑log evidence of a trip to Epstein’s island
Fact‑checks and multiple news organizations emphasize that although Trump appears on plane manifests, there is no evidence in the public flight logs or released Epstein files that he flew to or visited Epstein’s Little St. James island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. PolitiFact analyzed the records and concluded the flight entries were for domestic legs and that no record shows Trump going to the island [3]. News outlets such as Times of India and Newsweek reach the same conclusion: appearances in the logs were for domestic flights and do not show trips to the Caribbean island [4] [5].
3. Context: social ties in the 1990s and the later fall‑out
Reporting across the New York Times, Reuters and others documents that Trump and Epstein moved in overlapping social circles in the 1990s and early 2000s and that their friendship cooled by the mid‑2000s; some emails and contemporaneous comments show Epstein referencing time Trump spent at his homes, which has fueled scrutiny [10] [11] [12]. Journalists note that social proximity does not itself imply criminal conduct; outlets and fact‑checkers repeatedly point out that a name on a manifest is not evidence of wrongdoing [9] [11].
4. What the documents do — and do not — prove
The flight logs prove travel: they list passengers, dates and legs that show Trump rode on Epstein‑linked aircraft multiple times [13] [6]. The documents, however, do not prove participation in or knowledge of Epstein’s known crimes; newsrooms and fact‑checkers stress that no law‑enforcement records publicly connect Trump to Epstein’s trafficking charges, and several reports underline that the presence of a name on a manifest doesn’t equate to criminality [11] [9].
5. Why this matters politically and legally
The Epstein files — flight logs, a redacted contact book and emails — have become political ammunition. The DOJ’s partial releases and congressional disclosures in 2025 renewed debate about who was associated with Epstein and what remains unreleased; both Democrats and Republicans have accused each other of cherry‑picking or withholding materials [7] [8] [14]. Some political actors have pushed for full public disclosure; others, including the White House, have at times sought to frame releases as partisan attacks [15] [16].
6. Limitations and remaining unknowns
Available sources confirm flight‑log entries for Trump in the 1990s and repeatedly state there is no evidence in currently released logs that he visited Epstein’s island [3] [4]. What the sources do not provide is any newly revealed law‑enforcement evidence showing criminal conduct by Trump linked to Epstein; available reporting does not claim such evidence exists in the released files [11]. The full universe of Epstein‑related documents held by courts, the Epstein estate or law enforcement is large and partly redacted or withheld, and news coverage notes some records remain unreleased or heavily redacted [8] [17].
Bottom line: public flight logs and DOJ releases document that Donald Trump flew on Jeffrey Epstein’s planes multiple times in the 1990s (commonly counted as seven appearances), but available reporting and fact‑checks show no evidence in those logs or the released Epstein files that Trump visited Epstein’s private island [2] [3].