What the Epstein Files Say About Trump: A Complete Timeline |
For years, Donald Trump stoked conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein and his many powerful friends and associates, despite lingering questions about his own ties to the late sex offender. Trump and Epstein were friends for more than 15 years. The future president was photographed with Epstein many times, flew on his plane, and praised him as a “terrific guy” in the press. Trump comes up repeatedly in old Epstein court documents, and his name is all over the new Epstein emails.
Trump has repeatedly denied any Epstein-related wrongdoing, and there is no smoking gun that proves the president was on the so-called “client list” or even knew about Epstein’s crimes. However, Trump has repeatedly made contradictory statements about his former pal, and in one newly released email, Epstein claimed Trump “knew about the girls.”
In response to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the Justice Department released what Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche called “several hundred thousand” Epstein documents on Friday, December 19. You can view “The Epstein Library” here on the DOJ’s website.
Here’s a guide, which we’ll keep updated, to everything we know about Trump’s relationship with Epstein and how he’s addressed the political fallout.
The trove of documents was posted around 4:30 p.m. on Friday, December 19. While there is a search bar at the top of the page it was not working shortly after the documents were published. A note on the site said:
Note on Search Functionality: Due to technical limitations and the format of certain materials (e.g., handwritten text), portions of these documents may not be electronically searchable or may produce unreliable search results.
There was also a queue to access the site, which weirdly looked and sounded like the technology used by Ticketmaster:
They turned viewing the Epstein files into buying Taylor Swift tickets. pic.twitter.com/KM5kNr4y9G
The phrase “Epstein files” refers to the materials — court documents, flight logs, emails, images, recordings, etc. — amassed during state and federal investigations into the late sex offender. Thousands of pages related to Epstein’s prosecution, and the case against his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, have been released over the years. Calls to “release the Epstein files” refer to the government records that still have not been made public.
Trump is mentioned in many publicly available Epstein materials. Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly told him in May that his name also appears in the unreleased Epstein files, and weeks later, the FBI and DOJ said there would be no further disclosures on the pedophile and his associates. Even if this is true, it still doesn’t prove Trump was involved in Epstein’s crimes.
Like “Epstein files, “client list” may be a misnomer. It refers to a hypothetical list of people for whom Epstein procured girls and woman. While Attorney General Pam Bondi once said the list was “sitting on my desk right now to review,” it’s unclear if such a document exists. As the New York Times noted, “there has never been a reference to any ‘client list’ in any of the civil litigation brought by victims.”
Here’s a brief overview of their friendship and falling-out, and how Trump’s political career intersected with Epstein’s prosecution.
1980s to early 2000s: Trump and Epstein are friends. Trump parties with Epstein and flies on his private jet at least seven times. Trump appears in Epstein’s “little black book”, along with several of his family members (and many other famous and powerful figures).
2004: Trump and Epstein have a “falling-out,” as the president put it years later. The cause may have been a real-estate battle, but Trump has not confirmed this.
2006: After Florida police investigate multiple claims of Epstein sexually abusing underage girls, Epstein is indicted on just a single count of soliciting prostitution. Florida officials are accused of giving Epstein special treatment, and the FBI launches an investigation.
2008: Epstein pleads guilty to two state charges after striking a plea deal with the U.S. Attorney in Miami, Alexander Acosta, to avoid federal prosecution (Acosta then served as Trump’s Labor secretary in his first term). Epstein is sentenced to 18 months in jail but serves most of his sentence in a work-release program that lets him leave jail during the day.
July 6, 2019: Epstein is arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges in New York. Acosta resigns from the Trump administration days later amid public outcry over his decision not to prosecute Epstein years earlier.
August 10, 2019: Epstein is found dead in his Manhattan jail cell. His death is ruled a suicide.
2024: Thousands of pages of court documents from an Epstein civil suit are unsealed, reviving interest in the case. Trump is mentioned multiple times, but the documents don’t reveal any incriminating information about him. During the 2024 campaign, Trump suggests he’ll declassify the federal government’s Epstein files if reelected.
February 2025: Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly teases the release of more Epstein files, suggesting in a Fox News interview that the “client list” is “sitting on my desk right now to review.” Days later, right-wing influencers are given binders of Epstein materials at the White House, which turn out to be previously released documents.
July 7, 2025: In an unsigned memo, the FBI and DOJ say that following an “exhaustive review,” they have determined that there is no “client list,” and nothing in the Epstein files warrants further investigation. The memo presents a previously released jail surveillance video as proof that Epstein killed himself — but it’s missing a minute of footage. The memo says there will be no further Epstein document releases.
On December 12, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Friday released 19 photos from Epstein’s estate.
🚨 BREAKING: Oversight Dems received 95,000 new photos from Jeffrey Epstein's estate. These disturbing images raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world.
Time to end this White House cover-up. Release the files! pic.twitter.com/nQNIywayb9
The images, which you can view and download here, show Epstein with several famous friends including Woody Allen, Richard Branson, and Bill Clinton. But the photos do not have dates or captions so it’s unclear when they were taken or who exactly is in them. Here are the four new photos related to Trump.
This appears to be a photo of Trump and Epstein talking with model Ingrid Seynhaeve at a party in New York on on April 28, 1997. Other images of the trio socializing this Victoria’s Secret party have long been available on Getty Images:
It’s unclear when or where this photo was taken:
Trump appears to be on a private plane, but it’s unclear when or where this was taken:
Fish’s Eddy, a........