Trump and Jeffrey Epstein: Decades of Social Ties, Documented Parties, Victim Accounts
Last updated
Trump and Epstein were documented social associates from the late 1980s through the mid-2000s. They attended parties together at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate and in Manhattan. In a 2002 New York magazine interview, Trump described Epstein as 'a terrific guy' who enjoyed 'the younger side' of women — a statement that took on significance after Epstein's arrest. Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's primary victims, alleged in court filings that she encountered Trump at events hosted by Epstein. Trump banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago around 2004-2005 after Epstein allegedly assaulted the daughter of a Mar-a-Lago member. Acosta, Trump's later Secretary of Labor, was the U.S. Attorney who gave Epstein a controversial 2008 plea deal.
Overview
Jeffrey Epstein trafficked and sexually abused dozens of girls for decades. Donald Trump knew him socially for approximately twenty years.
The documented facts are: they attended parties together, Trump described him in a 2002 interview in ways that are striking in retrospect, and at least one of Epstein's victims has placed Trump in proximity to Epstein's social world. Trump says he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago around 2004-2005 after Epstein acted inappropriately toward a member's daughter — which, if true, would mean Trump took a concrete action against him years before Epstein's first criminal exposure.
The 2002 Interview
The New York Magazine quote has been reproduced thousands of times since Epstein's 2019 arrest. Its significance is not only the description of Epstein as "terrific" — it is the specific observation that Epstein liked women "on the younger side." This was said, approvingly, in 2002.
The Acosta Connection
The Trump-Epstein connection is not only biographical. Alexander Acosta was the U.S. Attorney who gave Epstein the most consequential legal protection of his life: a plea agreement that shielded him from federal charges, allowed him to serve a minimal sentence with work-release privileges, and — as the Miami Herald documented — was concealed from his victims in violation of federal law.
Trump appointed Acosta to lead the Department of Labor in 2017. Acosta resigned in 2019 after the Herald's reporting made his Epstein role nationally prominent. Trump called him a great Labor Secretary on the way out.
Timeline
Sequence of events
January 1, 1987
Trump-Epstein social relationship begins
Trump and Epstein begin a social relationship in New York. Both are active in Manhattan society. Contemporaries describe them attending parties together and socializing in overlapping circles.
October 28, 2002
Trump calls Epstein 'terrific' in New York magazine
In a New York Magazine profile of Epstein, Trump is quoted describing him as 'a terrific guy' who 'likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.' The quote becomes a major point of focus after Epstein's 2019 arrest.
January 1, 2004
Trump bans Epstein from Mar-a-Lago
Trump bans Epstein from Mar-a-Lago after Epstein allegedly made inappropriate advances toward the teenage daughter of a club member. This is the account Trump has given; it becomes his primary defense against association with Epstein's crimes.
June 30, 2008
Epstein receives Acosta plea deal
U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta agrees to a non-prosecution agreement allowing Epstein to plead guilty to Florida state charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution — serving 13 months and avoiding federal charges that could have carried decades in prison. The agreement was secret; victims were not notified as required by law.
February 16, 2017
Trump appoints Acosta as Labor Secretary
Trump appoints Alexander Acosta as Secretary of Labor. Acosta is confirmed. The Miami Herald's investigation into the Epstein plea deal is not yet published.
July 6, 2019
Epstein arrested on federal sex trafficking charges
Epstein is arrested in New York on federal charges of sex trafficking dozens of girls. The arrest follows the Miami Herald's investigative series by Julie K. Brown exposing the 2008 deal.
July 12, 2019
Acosta resigns from Labor
Acosta resigns as Labor Secretary amid renewed scrutiny of the Epstein plea deal. Trump says Acosta 'did a great job as Labor Secretary.'
August 10, 2019
Epstein dies in federal custody
Epstein is found dead in his cell at Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, where he was awaiting trial. His death is ruled a suicide by hanging. The Bureau of Prisons and MCC face significant criticism for lapses in monitoring protocols.
Sources
- ↑ New York magazine 2002 profile — Trump calls Epstein 'terrific guy' — New York Magazine
- ↑ Trump and Epstein cavorted at parties with young women in New York — The Washington Post
- ↑ Trump Once Said Epstein 'Likes Beautiful Women as Much as I Do' — The New York Times
- ↑ How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime — Miami Herald
Verification