Asked about the Jeffrey Epstein files again on Friday morning, President Donald Trump told reporters on the White House lawn that they should focus on former President Bill Clinton’s connection to the convicted child sex abuser.
The president also mentioned Larry Summers, the former president of Harvard and Treasury Secretary under Clinton, and “some of his friends that are hedge fund guys.” Neither Summers nor Clinton has been accused of any crimes related to Epstein’s sex trafficking and abuse.
“You ought to be speaking about Bill Clinton, who went to [Epstein’s] island 28 times. I never went to the island,” Trump said.
President Trump just named checked Bill Clinton and Larry Summers when asked about Epstein:
“You ought to be talking about Larry Summers…. or Bill Clinton, who went to the island 28 times. I never went to the island.” pic.twitter.com/YkUNToInL9
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 25, 2025
Trump’s comments come amid continued pressure for the administration to release more information on the Epstein files after the Department of Justice concluded earlier this month that there was no evidence that Epstein kept a client list. Trump has blasted the focus on the Epstein files as a Democrat “CON JOB,” but suggested on Thursday that more information would come to light after his DOJ requested that grand jury transcripts in the case be unsealed.
Clinton has acknowledged that he was a former associate of Epstein’s, but denied that he had any knowledge of the pedophile’s crimes against young girls. A spokesman for Clinton claimed in 2019 that the former president traveled on Epstein’s private jet on four occasions between 2002 and 2003, “one to Europe, one to Asia, and two to Africa, which included stops in connection with the work of the Clinton Foundation.”
The Clinton spokesman added that the former president “has never been to Little St. James Island, Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico, or his residence in Florida.”
A 2016 article from Fox News, however, reported that Clinton traveled on Epstein’s private jet at least 26 times, according to flight records. In 2020, a picture surfaced of Clinton getting a massage from Epstein accuser Chauntae Davies after a 2002 flight on Epstein’s “Lolita Express,” the New York Post reported. Davies alleged that Epstein raped her on multiple occasions and also accused Epstein’s co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, of recruiting her to work for the predator. Davies did not accuse Clinton of any wrongdoing.
Clinton’s name also appeared — alongside the names of President Trump, Prince Andrew, and others — in court filings related to the Epstein case. The court filings only detailed Clinton’s and Trump’s connection to Epstein and did not implicate the U.S. presidents in any criminality. Prince Andrew was accused of groping Johanna Sjoberg in 2001 and was also accused of sexual abuse by Virginia Giuffre, who died by apparent suicide earlier this year. Prince Andrew has denied any wrongdoing and settled the case brought by Giuffre out of court in 2022.
In a 2016 deposition, Sjoberg said that Epstein mentioned Clinton to her. “He said one time that Clinton likes them young, referring to girls,” Sjoberg said, but added that she never saw the former president on Epstein’s island. A Clinton spokesman said in 2019 that Clinton had not spoken to Epstein in more than a decade and had no knowledge of any criminal activity when he was last in contact with the disgraced financier.
The Wall Street Journal has published two reports over the past week on alleged birthday messages sent to Epstein from Trump and Clinton. Trump ripped the WSJ over the report, calling it “FAKE,” and then filed a libel lawsuit against Dow Jones, News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, and two Wall Street Journal reporters. A Clinton spokesman declined to comment on the alleged birthday message, according to the WSJ.
Asked about the WSJ report on Friday, Trump said, “I don’t know what they’re talking about. Somebody could’ve written a letter and used my name. That’s happened a lot.”
