A Sticky Friendship

During the 2024 campaign, Donald Trump said he would probably release Epstein-related records. Future administration officials Kash Patel, Dan Bongino and Pam Bondi had also promoted suspicions that the government was concealing information about the financier’s associates.

Trump’s own ties to Epstein spanned years. Video shows them together at a 1992 Mar-a-Lago party; Epstein attended Trump’s 1993 wedding. In 2002, Trump said he had known Epstein for 15 years, calling him a “terrific guy” and noting his preference for women “on the younger side.” Epstein has claimed he was "Trump's closest friend"

Their falling-out has been dated to around 2004, with accounts citing a property dispute or recruitment of Mar-a-Lago employees.

In February 2025, Bondi said an Epstein client list was on her desk for review. Days later, officials distributed “Phase 1” binders to conservative influencers. Later, the DOJ acknowledged that the binders largely only contained previously leaked records.

In July, a DOJ–FBI memorandum announced that no further disclosure was warranted. It reported no incriminating client list, no credible evidence of blackmail or basis to investigate uncharged third parties, and reaffirmed Epstein’s death as suicide. Trump agreed and called the controversy a “hoax”, attacking supporters demanding more disclosure.

That month, U.S. Representatives Thomas Massie (R) and Ro Khanna (D) began a bipartisan push for the full release of the Epstein files with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Trump slammed the proposal, calling it a “Democrat hoax,” and saying, “my PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bullshit,’ hook, line, and sinker.” In the months that followed, most Republicans who initially supported the bill flipped their position.

After The Wall Street Journal reported a sexually suggestive 2003 birthday message attributed to Trump, he denied authorship and sued for $10 billion.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche interviewed Epstein’s convicted and imprisoned co-conspirator Ghislane Maxwell in July. In transcripts released in August, she denied observing Trump behave inappropriately. Shortly after the interviews, she was transferred to a minimum-security prison camp without a publicly explained reason.

Congressional investigators released more than 33,000 DOJ pages in September and separately obtained Epstein’s birthday album. It contained the disputed Trump message; he continued denying its authorship and signature.

In November, investigators released emails in which Epstein claimed Trump spent hours at his house with a victim and “knew about the girls.”

After months of resistance, Trump told Republicans in Congress to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November. It passed the House 427–1 and the Senate by unanimous consent, requiring disclosure within 30 days, with limited exceptions including victim protection. DOJ’s December release was incomplete.

One 119-page file and three 100-page documents were entirely blacked out.

A later December release included a prosecutor’s email reporting eight Trump flights on Epstein’s jet in the 1990s, at least four with Maxwell.

In January 2026, DOJ announced nearly 3.5 million pages released. As of September 2026, nearly 3 million pages remain unreleased.