Is Trump in the Epstein Files? What the Released Documents Actually Show

AI Summary: Yes, Trump is in the Epstein files — he is mentioned over 1,000 times in the publicly released DOJ documents and reportedly over a million times in unredacted versions reviewed by members of Congress. The references range from flight logs and email correspondence to FBI interview summaries and unverified tips, though no direct evidence of criminal involvement has emerged from the files.

Is Trump in the Epstein files? The short answer is unequivocally yes. President Donald Trump appears extensively throughout the 3.5 million pages of documents released by the Department of Justice under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. According to CNN, Trump is mentioned more than 1,000 times in the publicly released documents — and according to Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who reviewed the unredacted files at the DOJ, Trump's name appears "more than a million times" in the full, unredacted database (Axios).

But being mentioned in the Epstein files is not the same as being accused of — or implicated in — criminal conduct. The references to Trump span a wide range of materials, from news clippings Epstein shared with associates to FBI interview summaries, flight logs, email exchanges, and unverified tips submitted by the public. What follows is a comprehensive, source-by-source breakdown of exactly what the Epstein files say about Donald Trump, what they don't say, and what remains disputed.

The Trump–Epstein Relationship: Historical Background

Before examining what the files contain, it's important to understand the documented history of the Trump–Epstein relationship, which provides context for the references in the files.

Trump and Epstein became acquainted in the late 1980s, when both men were prominent figures in the Palm Beach and Manhattan social scenes. Trump purchased his Mar-a-Lago estate in 1985, and Epstein owned a residence nearby on El Brillo Way (PBS NewsHour).

Throughout the 1990s, Trump and Epstein socialized frequently. They attended parties at Mar-a-Lago, and video footage from a 1992 party shows the two men together. Flight logs from Epstein's private planes show Trump, his then-wife Marla Maples, and their daughter Tiffany flew on Epstein's aircraft at least seven times between 1993 and 1997 — primarily between Palm Beach and New York, with one stop at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (Newsweek).

There is no record of Trump flying to Epstein's private island, Little St. James.

The 2002 Quote

In an October 2002 New York Magazine profile of Epstein, Trump was quoted saying:

"I've known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side." (Washington Post)

This quote has become one of the most widely cited pieces of evidence regarding the Trump–Epstein connection. Trump has since distanced himself from the remark.

The Falling Out

The timeline of the end of the Trump–Epstein relationship is disputed — and the newly released files have added complexity to what was already an unclear picture. Some accounts place the split around 2004, when Trump outbid Epstein for a Palm Beach property called Maison de l'Amitie at a foreclosure auction. Other accounts claim the falling out occurred in late 2007, when Trump allegedly barred Epstein from Mar-a-Lago after Epstein behaved inappropriately toward a club member's teenage daughter (PBS NewsHour).

As discussed below, newly released documents challenge parts of this account.

What the Released Epstein Files Actually Say About Trump

The DOJ released documents in multiple waves — an initial partial release on December 19, 2025, and a major release of approximately 3 million additional pages on January 30, 2026 (DOJ Press Release). Here's what they contain regarding Trump.

1. Over 1,000 Direct Mentions

According to CNN's analysis, Trump is mentioned more than 1,000 times across the publicly released files (CNN). When counting all individual occurrences — including references to Trump, Melania Trump, and Trump-related entities — the number exceeds 38,000 according to some analyses.

However, many of these mentions are not direct references to interactions between Trump and Epstein. A significant portion consists of:

News articles about Trump during his presidency that Epstein shared with associates via email
Epstein's commentary about Trump in conversations with journalists and associates
Unverified tips submitted to the FBI by members of the public
Court filings that reference Trump in passing

2. The FBI's List of Allegations

Among the most significant — and most contentious — items in the files is an FBI list of allegations related to Trump, compiled in August 2025. The list includes more than a dozen allegations, many of which appear to have come from unverified tips submitted through the FBI's National Threat Operations Center (CNN).

The DOJ itself issued a statement alongside the release:

"Some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. The claims are unfounded and false." (NPR)

The list also includes FBI notes about a woman who filed a lawsuit accusing Trump of assault when she was 13 — a case that was ultimately dropped before trial — and an FBI interview with one of Epstein's victims who stated that Ghislaine Maxwell once "presented her" to Trump at a party (CNN).

No public evidence has emerged that any of these allegations were deemed credible by the FBI or resulted in any investigative action against Trump.

3. The Palm Beach Police Chief Interview

One of the most substantive documents is a 2019 FBI interview with former Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter, who recounted a 2006 phone call from Trump (CNBC).

According to the FBI summary, during this call Trump:

Told Reiter "thank goodness you're stopping him, everyone has known he's been doing this"
Said that "people in New York knew Epstein was disgusting"
Described an occasion when he "was around Epstein once when teenagers were present and Trump got the hell out of there"
Called Ghislaine Maxwell "evil" and told Reiter "to focus on her"
Was described by Reiter as "one of the very first people to call" when the investigation became public

This document has been cited by both Trump supporters — as evidence Trump cooperated with law enforcement — and critics — as evidence Trump was aware of Epstein's conduct earlier than he has publicly acknowledged (ABC News).

4. Flight Logs

The released files confirm what was previously known from earlier disclosures: Trump flew on Epstein's aircraft at least seven times, primarily between Palm Beach and New York in the mid-1990s. One 1994 flight log lists Trump, Marla Maples, their infant daughter Tiffany, and a nanny as passengers (Newsweek).

There is no flight log entry placing Trump on flights to Epstein's private island, Little St. James, or to any of Epstein's other properties.

5. The Epstein Recordings

Audio recordings of Epstein, obtained by author Michael Wolff during a 2017 interview and subsequently published by The Daily Beast, were entered into the congressional record by the House Judiciary Committee (House Judiciary Committee Document).

On the recordings, Epstein describes Trump as his "closest friend for 10 years" and makes several unverified claims about their relationship, including the claim that Trump first "slept with" Melania on Epstein's plane (The Daily Beast).

The Trump campaign has called Wolff "a disgraced writer who routinely fabricates lies." There is no independent corroboration of Epstein's specific claims about Trump on the recordings.

6. Emails Involving Trump's Inner Circle

The files contain email correspondence showing Epstein was in contact with several individuals who now serve in the Trump administration (NBC News):

Steve Bannon: Hundreds of friendly text messages and emails with Epstein in the months before Epstein's death in August 2019. Bannon has said he was working on a documentary about Epstein at the time (Fortune).
Howard Lutnick (Commerce Secretary): Emails from 2012 discussing a possible boat trip to Epstein's private island. Lutnick has acknowledged visiting the island in 2012 with his wife and children, describing it as a brief lunch (CNBC).
John Bolton (former National Security Adviser): Listed as a "politically exposed person" in the files.

None of these individuals have been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein's crimes (PBS NewsHour).

The Mar-a-Lago Dispute: What the Unredacted Files Show

One of the most contentious aspects of the Trump–Epstein connection is Trump's claim that he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago. Newly reviewed unredacted files have directly challenged this account.

Trump's Longstanding Claim

Trump has repeatedly stated — in interviews and public remarks — that he threw Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago years before Epstein's arrest, citing Epstein's inappropriate behavior toward a club member's daughter.

What Lawmakers Found in the Unredacted Files

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), after reviewing unredacted files at the DOJ in early February 2026, said he found a 2009 email exchange between Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell that contradicts Trump's claim. In the email, Epstein recounts his lawyers' description of a conversation with Trump's attorneys:

Trump was quoted as saying: "No, Jeffrey Epstein was not a member of Mar-a-Lago, but he was a guest at Mar-a-Lago, and no, we never asked him to leave." (Axios, Newsweek)

Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) separately told TIME that after reviewing unredacted files — with the assistance of the Reddit community (more on that below) — he found "a specific document" containing multiple witness accounts that contradict Trump's version of events regarding the Mar-a-Lago ban (TIME).

The White House Response

A White House spokesperson responded:

"Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club at Mar-a-Lago because, frankly, Jeffrey Epstein was a creep. He cut off his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and was honest and transparent about that for years and years."

The Virginia Giuffre Connection

The Mar-a-Lago connection is further complicated by the fact that Virginia Giuffre — one of the most prominent Epstein survivors — has testified that Ghislaine Maxwell recruited her from Mar-a-Lago in 2000, when Giuffre was a 16-year-old spa attendant at the club. Maxwell approached Giuffre while she was reading a book about massage therapy, offered her a job as a "traveling masseuse" for Epstein, and Giuffre subsequently became one of Epstein's most frequently trafficked victims (Britannica).

There is no allegation in the files that Trump was aware of or involved in Giuffre's recruitment.

Reddit's Role in Analyzing the Trump References

Online communities — particularly the r/Epstein subreddit — have played a significant and widely reported role in analyzing the millions of pages of released documents.

Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) posted directly to the r/Epstein subreddit asking members: "What specific files have you all seen that I should review unredacted?" The post received over 30,000 upvotes and approximately 2,700 comments, becoming one of the most popular posts on Reddit that day (Yahoo News/Tampa Bay Times).

Frost's staff compiled 11 pages of file numbers from the community's suggestions. During his two-hour session at the DOJ, Frost was only able to review the first two pages. He described the experience:

"Honestly, crowd sourcing information from the people is something politicians need to do more of. We don't know everything. We have a limited staff, but out there, there are people who are combing through these documents, who themselves have put pieces together that maybe we haven't even thought of."

It was this Reddit-assisted review that led Frost to discover documents contradicting Trump's Mar-a-Lago ban claim. The r/Epstein community continues to catalog, cross-reference, and analyze Trump-related documents from the release.

What the Epstein Files Do NOT Show About Trump

In the interest of accuracy, it's important to note what the released files do not contain:

No evidence Trump visited Epstein's island. No flight log, email, witness statement, or document of any kind places Trump at Little St. James.
No evidence Trump participated in sex trafficking. The DOJ has not alleged, and no document in the released files establishes, that Trump was involved in Epstein's criminal enterprise.
No credible criminal allegations. The DOJ specifically stated that allegations against Trump contained in the files were "unfounded and false." The FBI list of allegations appears to consist primarily of unverified public tips.
No indication Trump was a target of investigation. There is no document suggesting Trump was ever a subject or target of the federal Epstein investigation.

Being mentioned in the Epstein files — even extensively — is not evidence of wrongdoing. The files contain references to hundreds of public figures, many of whom had no involvement in Epstein's crimes.

The Broader Context: Other Prominent Names

Trump is far from the only public figure mentioned extensively in the Epstein files. The released documents also contain references to (NBC News, CNBC):

Bill Clinton — mentioned in flight logs and witness statements
Prince Andrew — subject of extensive victim testimony and email correspondence
Elon Musk — mentioned in Epstein email correspondence
Bill Gates — documented meetings with Epstein after his 2008 conviction
Howard Lutnick — email correspondence about visiting Epstein's island
Steve Bannon — hundreds of messages with Epstein before his death

Each of these individuals' connections to Epstein requires its own detailed analysis. See our topic pages on Trump & Epstein and The Epstein Files for ongoing coverage.

What Remains Unknown

Several important questions about Trump's appearances in the Epstein files remain unanswered:

What's in the remaining unreleased files? The DOJ identified over 6 million pages as potentially responsive to the Transparency Act but has released only approximately 3.5 million. Whether the unreleased pages contain additional Trump-related materials is unknown (NPR).

What's behind the redactions? Lawmakers who have reviewed unredacted versions report finding significant Trump-related content behind redactions in the public release. Rep. Raskin described the DOJ's review system as "confusing, unreliable, and clunky" and accused the department of using it as "part of the coverup" (Axios).

What did Trump know, and when? The Palm Beach Police Chief interview suggests Trump was aware of Epstein's conduct by at least 2006. The 2002 New York Magazine quote — with its reference to "many of them are on the younger side" — raises questions about what Trump knew even earlier. Trump has not provided a detailed account of when he first became aware of Epstein's criminal behavior.

Will there be further congressional action? Multiple members of Congress have called for hearings, audits, and additional releases. Whether the Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee will pursue further investigation into the Trump-related materials remains to be seen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Trump in the Epstein files?

Yes. Trump is mentioned more than 1,000 times in the publicly released DOJ documents. In the unredacted files reviewed by members of Congress, Rep. Jamie Raskin says Trump appears "more than a million times."

Did Trump fly on Epstein's plane?

Yes. Flight logs confirm Trump flew on Epstein's aircraft at least seven times between 1993 and 1997, primarily between Palm Beach and New York. There is no record of Trump flying to Epstein's island.

Did Trump ban Epstein from Mar-a-Lago?

This is disputed. Trump has claimed he barred Epstein from Mar-a-Lago, but documents reviewed by Reps. Jamie Raskin and Maxwell Frost appear to contradict this claim. A 2009 Epstein email quotes Trump as saying Epstein "was a guest at Mar-a-Lago" and "we never asked him to leave."

Has Trump been accused of crimes in the Epstein files?

The files contain unverified allegations that were submitted as tips to the FBI. The DOJ explicitly stated these claims are "unfounded and false." No credible evidence of Trump participating in Epstein's criminal activities has emerged from the released documents.

Where can I read the Epstein files that mention Trump?

The DOJ has published all released files on its official Epstein Library website in searchable, downloadable format.