‘Don’s best friend’: What records and witnesses reveal about Trump’s long relationship with Jeffrey Epstein

‘Don’s best friend’: What records and witnesses reveal about Trump’s long relationship with Jeffrey Epstein

For years, Donald Trump has offered shifting explanations of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. At various times, he has described Epstein as a casual acquaintance, someone he barely knew, or a figure he distanced himself from early on. But interviews, court records, photographs and newly released documents suggest the relationship was far closer, and lasted far longer, than the president now acknowledges.

An examination by The New York Times, based on interviews with more than 30 former Epstein employees, women who encountered the two men socially, and people who worked around them, found no evidence implicating Trump in Epstein’s sexual abuse of minors. Still, the reporting shows the two men were close companions for nearly two decades, frequently socialising, speaking on the phone, and moving through the same elite party circuits in New York and Florida.

How Epstein became a fixture in Trump’s world

From the late 1980s through the early 2000s, Epstein was a regular presence in Trump’s orbit. The two appeared together at Mar-a-Lago, at Trump’s Manhattan properties, at Palm Beach gatherings, fashion events and beauty pageants. Several former Epstein employees said the men spoke by phone multiple times a week during the 1990s.

Epstein, then a little-known financier cultivating mystery around his wealth, seemed drawn to Trump’s celebrity and access. Trump, facing mounting financial pressures in the 1990s, appeared attracted to Epstein’s money, private jet and elite connections, according to former employees and associates.

A bond shaped by power and pursuit

According to former staff, Epstein and Trump bonded over their shared pursuit of women. With others, Epstein discussed tax strategies, politics or science. With Trump, the conversations often centred on sex.

One former assistant recalled Epstein putting Trump on speakerphone late at night so staff could overhear graphic stories, sometimes deliberately to make them uncomfortable. Another employee remembered long conversations about beauty pageants, models and which countries produced the “best-looking” women.

Several women who encountered the pair socially described a competitive dynamic, one rooted in ego and dominance rather than friendship.

Women introduced through Epstein and Maxwell

Women who moved through Epstein’s social circle say he often used his relationship with Trump to impress and recruit. Records show Epstein or his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, introduced at least six women who later accused them of grooming or abuse to Trump. One of those women was under 18 at the time.

None have accused Trump of sexually abusing minors. Some women described Trump behaving aggressively or sexually in social settings. Stacey Williams, a former Sports Illustrated model, has said Trump groped her in Trump Tower in 1993 while Epstein watched. Trump has denied the allegation.

Another woman told The Times she attended parties at Epstein’s mansion where Trump was present. She said Trump did not behave inappropriately toward her.

Trump’s separate history of sexual misconduct claims

Trump’s long record of sexual misconduct allegations exists independently of Epstein. Nearly 20 women have publicly accused him of groping, forcible kissing or sexual assault. Trump has denied all such claims.

In 2023, a jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll and for defaming her after she went public with her account. He was ordered to pay damages.

The falling-out and the rewriting of history

At some point in the early 2000s, Trump and Epstein fell out. Trump has said he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago for inappropriate behaviour. Epstein later told associates that Trump was distancing himself for political reasons.

Even after the rupture, Epstein remained fixated on the relationship. He kept photographs of himself with Trump and spoke frequently about their former closeness, according to former employees and emails released by Congress.

In 2002, Trump told New York magazine that Epstein liked women “on the younger side,” a remark that later drew renewed scrutiny as Epstein’s crimes became public.

Why the relationship matters now

The controversy has resurfaced during Trump’s second term, unsettling parts of his political base. After months of pressure, Trump signed legislation requiring the release of additional Epstein-related records. Some documents have already been made public, though significant material may still be withheld.

What emerges from the record is not proof of Trump’s involvement in Epstein’s abuse network, but a portrait of a long, intimate association built around status, access and shared attitudes toward women.

For a president who has repeatedly sought to minimise or erase that history, the accumulated evidence tells a more complicated story.