New details about Jeffrey Epstein and his network of famous connections, which included former U.S. presidents and royalty, are set to be unveiled this week with the release of previously unseen court papers.
Names are to be unsealed from a lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, an alleged trafficking victim, against Epstein's former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. Giuffre alleges that Maxwell arranged for the then 17-year-old to have sex with Epstein and other prominent men, including Prince Andrew. Andrew has denied the allegations and settled with Giuffre out of court in February 2022.
Among those already associated with the late financier is Donald Trump who, according to one political commentator, is said to have previously called Epstein, who was later to become a convicted sex offender, a "terrific guy."
The Claim
A post on X, formerly Twitter, on January 1, 2024, by political commentator Brian Krassenstein, said "Welcome to 2024, where the same people obsessively attacking Bill Clinton for flying on the Epstein plane are the ones preparing to nominate another man as their presidential candidate, who flew on the plane, partied with Epstein and called Epstein a "terrific guy" who enjoyed "younger" women.
"Trump flew at least four times in 1993, once in 1994 and once in 1995, in addition to a flight in 1997.
"Hypocrisy?"
The post included a video of Trump speaking to what appeared to be Jeffrey Epstein.
The Facts
This quote, attributed to Trump, is accurate. A 2002 profile about Epstein in New York magazine quoted Donald Trump saying Epstein was a "terrific guy", adding details about their shared interest in "beautiful women."
"I've known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy," Trump told the magazine.
"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. No doubt about it—Jeffrey enjoys his social life."
Trump made the comments well before Palm Beach, Florida, police began investigating Epstein in 2005 after a teenage girl's parents complained she had been molested at his house.
Newsweek has contacted representatives for Donald Trump for comment.
The video attached to Krassenstein's post on X is NBC archive footage from Mar-a-Lago recorded in 1992.
Trump has not been accused of any involvement in Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes. He has however been named among a list of associates who flew on Epstein's jet, according to testimony by the late financier's former pilot Lawrence Paul Visoski Jr.
During Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial in 2021, Visoski, who was Epstein's pilot for nearly 30 years, said that Epstein flew many famous people including Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and Prince Andrew.
In 2019, Trump distanced himself from Epstein. Speaking to the press, the then-president said he knew Epstein but only because "everybody in Palm Beach" did, noting "I had a falling out with him. I haven't spoken to him in 15 years. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you."
The Ruling
True.
Donald Trump was quoted calling Jeffrey Epstein a "Terrific guy" for a New York magazine profile in 2002. Trump said he was "a lot of fun to be with" and shared an interest in "beautiful women." Trump has since said that he was "not a fan of his."
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
