When did trump last associate with Epstein
Executive summary
Donald Trump’s public association with Jeffrey Epstein is documented through the 1990s and into the early 2000s, and multiple outlets report the relationship had effectively ended by roughly 2004; Trump himself has said he had not been in contact with Epstein for about 15 years as of 2019, which aligns with a last-association date near 2004 [1] [2]. Recent Justice Department releases mention Trump many times in Epstein files but do not establish new, verifiable personal meetings after the mid-2000s and the DOJ has warned that some allegations in the files are unverified or false [3] [4] [5].
1. The well-documented social period: 1990s into the early 2000s
Archival footage and contemporaneous reporting show Trump and Epstein socialized at Mar-a-Lago and at charity and social events throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s, with photographs and video placing them together at parties and fundraisers [6] [7]. Trump himself praised Epstein in 2002 as a longtime acquaintance, saying “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,” which confirms an active social tie at least through that year [7].
2. The claimed rupture and the 2004 cutoff
Multiple journalistic reconstructions say the friendship soured around 2004; PBS’s timeline states the relationship “ended in 2004,” and Trump has cited a falling-out over Epstein allegedly taking women who worked at Mar-a-Lago as a reason for distancing himself [1]. That date also matches Trump’s later public claim in 2019 that he had not been in contact with Epstein for 15 years, which, if taken at face value, points to about 2004 as the last personal association [2].
3. What the newly released DOJ files add — and what they don’t
The Department of Justice’s large tranche of Epstein-related files released in late January 2026 mentions Trump hundreds of times and includes unverified tips and photographs, but reporters and the DOJ noted many claims are unsubstantiated or sensational, and the materials do not demonstrate a confirmed meeting between Trump and Epstein after the mid-2000s [3] [5]. Media outlets reviewing the files emphasize that mentions of Trump include everything from archival photos to tip-line allegations, not new, corroborated eyewitness accounts of recent contact [4] [8].
4. Conflicting content and unverified allegations in the records
Some documents in the release compile allegations submitted to the FBI that name Trump in graphic, uncorroborated claims; the DOJ publicly cautioned that some of those entries were untrue or politically timed, and major outlets report the files contain both routine investigative material and rumor-like tips [9] [4]. Reporting cautions that inclusion in FBI tip lists or Epstein file indexes is not the same as verified interaction, and several newsrooms explicitly note the difference between archival evidence of past socializing and later unverified allegations [3] [8].
5. How to reconcile the record: strongest supported conclusion
The preponderance of documented evidence places Trump’s last known, verifiable social association with Epstein in the early 2000s, with multiple accounts and Trump’s own statements pointing to roughly 2004 as the point the relationship ended; later DOJ file releases have produced many mentions and unverified tips but no definitive proof of continued personal association beyond that mid-2000s cutoff [1] [2] [5]. Given the DOJ’s caveat about unsubstantiated entries and the media’s distinction between archival photos and corroborated meetings, the most supportable answer from available reporting is that the last clear association occurred around 2004 [4] [3].