Squiz Shortcuts - Trump's Jeffrey Epstein headache

Your Shortcut to… Trump’s Jeffrey Epstein headache

US President Donald Trump is dealing with backlash from his political base over the case of Jeffrey Epstein, the paedophile and former financier who died in jail before his case could go to trial. There’s a long history to this, and it’s arguably the most significant political issue Trump has had to deal with since he became President again in January. So in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll cover:

• the history between the 2 men

• and why it’s become such a headache for Trump…

Prefer this in your ears?

Listen to our podcast 🎧

Listen time: 10 minutes

Squiz the Shortcut

Before we get into it, remind me about Jeffrey Epstein…
He was a high-flying financier who moved in powerful and influential circles, but that all came to an end when he was arrested for the sex trafficking of underage girls in 2019. He died in his jail cell about a month after his arrest, before his case could go to trial. And there have been a lot of questions about that, giving rise to conspiracy theories…

Why is that?
At the heart of the Epstein case is the supposed existence of a client list that he was said to have kept. It’s believed to be held in US government files compiled about the case, known as the ‘Epstein files’, which are said to contain volumes of records, victim testimonies, court documents, and interviews - but no one in the public domain knows for sure what’s in them… 

Who’s on the client list?
That’s a question many people want answered… If it exists - and that's still an if, as it’s never been presented as public evidence - it’s believed to contain the names of very powerful people, including celebrities, politicians, and other prominent associates of Epstein’s in the finance and legal industries. The claim is that Epstein blackmailed them over their alleged involvement or knowledge of what he was doing, and that his death in jail may not have been a suicide, as it was ruled to be.

So, why is this a political problem for Trump?
One reason is that Trump has a history of association with Epstein… In their younger days in the 80s and 90s, they ran in the same high society circles in New York. They were often photographed at the same events, and several of those were held at Trump’s Florida Mar-a-Lago estate. There are also flight logs listing Trump as a passenger on Epstein’s private jet, and he was pictured with many of the same people Epstein rubbed shoulders with, including Prince Andrew, who was linked to Epstein through a scandal of his own…

What was that about again?
The Prince was accused by a young Australian-American woman, Virginia Giuffre, of sexual assault. He’s always maintained his innocence and a civil claim was settled over it. Giuffre, who died earlier this year, says she was recruited into Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring while working at Mar-a-Lago in 2000… Those photos of Trump and Epstein together were all taken before Epstein was arrested.

What else is out there about their relationship?
Well, at least one of Trump’s comments about his former associate has stuck around…

What did he say?
In 2002, Trump told New York Magazine that Epstein was a “terrific guy” and “a lot of fun to be with”, and he went on to say, “he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side”... That quote gets brought up a fair bit - but the pair fell out a couple of years later.

Why did they fall out?
Some say it was over an oceanfront property they both wanted to buy, while other accounts say it was because Epstein was making overtures towards the young daughter of a Mar-a-Lago member. Regardless, Trump distanced himself, calling Epstein a “creep” and saying he “wasn’t a fan.”

So, what’s the connection between the Epstein files and Trump?
It’s important to mention that Trump has never been accused of any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein… But his old ties to the disgraced sex offender resurfaced at the start of June when his political relationship/allyship with billionaire Elon Musk went up in flames over his Big Beautiful Bill.

Social media was involved, right?
Yep… Musk dropped a bombshell about Trump on his platform, X, posting “Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.” And shortly after that, he wrote: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.” 

What was the fallout?
Musk later deleted the post, and also apologised to the President for some of his comments. The story died down a bit after that, but it came up again early this month when a US Justice Department memo announced that a review into the Epstein case had been conducted. 

What did it find?
It found that no client list exists, and also confirmed that Epstein died by suicide in his prison cell. That memo angered many of Trump’s supporters and right-wing media commentators…

Why?
This brings us to the other reason why Epstein has become a political problem for Trump. One of his election promises was that his administration would get to the bottom of whether there was a cover-up over how Epstein died in his jail cell - and they were unhappy with that result. 

What exactly did Trump promise?
He said he’d “drain the swamp”, implying that there’d been a cover-up of some sort and suggesting that the answers lay in the case files on Epstein, which he promised to release to the public if he was elected. Because it’s far from just Trump who has had an association with Epstein... 

Who else could be implicated?
Former Democratic President Bill Clinton has been named as an associate in court documents as well, which is one reason that Trump’s supporters are so passionate about it. But Trump’s the one in office at the moment - and rather than putting an end to the conjecture around Epstein, the report has actually taken it to a whole new level in the weeks since.

So Trump’s copping some political heat?
He sure is - but what’s different this time is that, in addition to copping it from Democrats, he’s also dealing with scrutiny from his supporters, and some of his more high-profile ones are shouting the loudest.

Like who?
We’re talking everyone from people in government, like House Speaker Mike Johnson, to podcasters and influencers who supported him at the election who’re unhappy with how the White House has handled this case. It’s also put him at legal odds with conservative media outlets like the Wall Street Journal… 

What’s happened there?
Trump has launched legal action for defamation against the newspaper, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, over a report that claims he drew a naked picture of a woman, along with a lewd comment, on a 50th birthday letter to Epstein back in 2003.

What has Trump said about it?
He’s called the letter a fake. He says he doesn’t talk like that, and he doesn’t draw… The Wall Street Journal, though, says it will vigorously defend the case, which implies it’s confident that the letter isn’t a fake… And while announcing he’d see Murdoch in court, Trump took another step to try to shut the story down.

What step is that?
He’s ordered the Department of Justice to release the rest of the sealed Epstein files… He wrote on Truth Social: “Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval. This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!”

So, will the files actually be released?
“Subject to court approval” are the key words there… So, whether the court will allow it, and whether it’s a smart gamble by Trump to open them up, remains to be seen…

Turning water into shine

If you’ve turned a new/clean leaf for the new year, Skipper’s #1 just-add-water home and body care range is for you. Chuck one of their tablets into some water, and you can save some cash and reduce waste. The range includes universal cleaners, body washes, laundry sheets and more, and you can build your own bundle and get up to $120 off. Skip to it...

Onto our Recommendations

Reading: A CNN article: 5 Big Questions about Trump’s Ties to Epstein... It gives a breakdown of their history together.

Listening: This episode on The New Yorker Radio Hour podcast about MAGA’s Revolt Over Jeffrey Epstein explores the backlash from Trump’s supporters.

Reading: And we’ve also found this article in the New York Times from the POV of one of Epstein’s accusers, Maria Farmer, suggesting why there’s a possibility that Trump’s and other high-profile names could be in the Epstein files… But just a heads up, you’ll need a New York Times subscription to access it.

Recent Shortcuts