A man gestures toward a photograph of U.S. President Donald Trump and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which was unofficially installed in a bus shelter on July 17, 2025, in London, UK. (Photo: CFP)
The controversy surrounding Jeffrey Epstein's case has reignited with fresh intensity, casting a shadow over U.S. President Donald Trump as his political base grapples with growing distrust and new allegations.
Timeline of developments
During the 2024 campaign trail, Trump signaled that he was open to releasing federal records related to Epstein, the financier and convicted sex offender who died in a federal jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges. Investigators stated that the cause of death was suicide.
In an interview with Fox News, however, Trump—who had maintained a social relationship with Epstein for nearly 15 years—also voiced caution, saying: "You don't want to affect people's lives if there's phony stuff in there, because it's a lot of phony stuff with that whole world. But I think I would."
In February 2025, Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi released a limited set of previously classified documents connected to Epstein. However, the material contained few new revelations, drawing criticism from right-wing influencers.
On June 5, tech billionaire Elon Musk, amid a public feud with Trump, alleged on his platform X (formerly Twitter) that Trump's name could appear in the Epstein files.
The same day, The Wall Street Journal published an investigative article based on documents compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime associate currently serving a 20-year sentence. Among the materials was a 2003 birthday letter from Trump containing explicit content.
On July 6, the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI issued an unsigned memorandum stating that no further Epstein-related documents would be released. The memo indicated that an "exhaustive review" had found no "incriminating client list" or other materials that warranted further disclosure.
"In my view, Pam Bondi is answering directly to President Trump because he doesn't want any of those files released—possibly due to compromising information," said Gene Rossi, former assistant U.S. attorney and federal prosecutor. "There are allegations suggesting that Donald Trump may have known about Mr. Epstein's proclivity for pedophilia, and that he may not only have condoned it but possibly participated in Epstein's criminal acts."
Some within Trump's political base have expressed frustration over what they see as a retreat from key campaign promises. In a recent interview with Human Events, Jack Posobiec, a prominent MAGA commentator with millions of followers, criticized the decision to withhold further Epstein files, saying: "This is not how you treat the American people. This is not how you handle basic communication. This is not how you treat your voters and your supporters."
Trump's response
Trump has acknowledged that he knew Epstein as early as the 1980s and described their relationship as having ended prior to Epstein's legal entanglements.
Public records show that Trump's name appeared in Epstein's flight logs on seven occasions, and the two were photographed at several social events. Trump has consistently denied ever visiting Epstein's private island or engaging in any misconduct.
Amid increased public pressure, Trump posted a statement on Truth Social indicating that he had directed Bondi to prepare for the release of sealed grand jury records, pending court approval. In the same statement, he denied all allegations and described the renewed scrutiny as politically motivated.
Separately, Trump filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch over its reporting on the Epstein materials. The legal action marks a significant escalation in Trump's efforts to challenge media portrayals of his past associations.
At a cabinet meeting on July 8, Trump criticized a reporter for asking about Epstein. "Are people still talking about this guy, this creep?" Trump said. "That is unbelievable. Do you want to waste time?"
Reporter | Liu Xiaodi, Lin Ying (intern)
Editor | Yuan Zixiang, James, Shen He
