Did any other presidential candidates mention the Epstein list during their campaigns?

1. Trump made the Epstein files a campaign talking point — and promised release

Reporting from The Guardian, Wikipedia and other outlets documents that while campaigning in 2024, Donald Trump repeatedly said he would release or declassify Epstein-related documents — at times calling them lower priority than other historical files but still promising disclosure — and later took executive or political steps tied to that promise ^{[1] [2] [5]}. Follow‑up reporting in 2025 records Trump signing legislation and ordering DOJ action aimed at disclosure after Congress moved to release files ^{[6] [5]}.

2. Other 2024 presidential candidates are not documented as echoing the same pledge

The assembled reporting and document summaries focus on Trump and on institutional efforts (House releases, Oversight Committee dumps) but do not record other presidential candidates publicly pledging to “release the Epstein files” in the same way Trump did. Sources cataloguing the documents and media coverage name many people mentioned in the filings but do not attribute similar campaign promises to other candidates ^{[3] [4] [7]}. Therefore, available sources do not mention other candidates making the same pledge.

3. News coverage instead highlights document unsealing and a wide cast of names

News outlets and curated explainers emphasize that unsealed filings and congressional releases named dozens of figures — from royalty to politicians and media figures — and that much of the early unsealing simply reiterated previously known names rather than revealing a sensational new “client list” ^{[3] [7] [8]}. Media explainers (BBC, Fortune, TIME) repeatedly caution that appearing in documents does not equal criminality and that the first batches added little new factual detail about actions by the named figures ^{[8] [3] [7]}.

4. The political fight over release became a bipartisan, high‑profile issue

Congressional maneuvers and committee releases drove much of the 2025 public debate: the House Oversight Committee released large troves of estate documents, and the House voted to force DOJ disclosure in a lopsided vote — developments that outlets frame as national political battlegrounds rather than individual campaign talking points by multiple presidential hopefuls ^{[9] [10] [5]}. Reporting also shows the White House and allies both pushing for and against various releases, highlighting competing partisan narratives about motives ^{[11] [12]}.

5. Some actors amplified claims or framed the issue as political ammunition

Coverage notes that prominent figures and political aides amplified or used the files for political purposes: for example, media and aides circulated clips and claims tying Trump or others to Epstein; some outlets report that pro‑release activists and some Republican figures pressured for public disclosure ^{[2] [4] [5]}. At the same time, the White House and allies characterized many leaks and releases as selective or weaponized by opponents ^{[11] [12]}.

6. What the record does and does not show — limits and caveats

The sources provided are consistent in documenting Trump’s public engagement with the “Epstein files” theme and in documenting congressional and judicial releases of documents; they do not document comparable public pledges from other presidential candidates to release such a list during their campaigns ^{[1] [2] [3]}. That is a negative claim about absence of coverage: per the instruction to avoid definitive negatives without citation, the correct reading is that available sources do not mention other candidates making the same pledge ^{[3] [4]}. If you want, I can search for specific candidates by name (e.g., Biden, DeSantis, Haley, or third‑party challengers) to confirm whether separate reporting exists about their campaign rhetoric on the Epstein files.

Sources cited: The Guardian ^[1]; Wikipedia summary of Epstein client list and campaign mentions ^[2]; Fortune ^[3]; BBC ^[8]; House Oversight Committee release ^[9]; Axios and Times explainers ^{[4] [7]}; AP/other congressional coverage ^[12]; Politico and NYT context on emails and releases ^{[11] [13]}.