Last week, social media had been buzzing with details of Donald Trump’s association with the late Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious figure embroiled in allegations of pedophilia. Speculation and sensational claims regarding Trump and Epstein flooded platforms like Reddit and TikTok. Similarly, On X, the hashtag #TrumpPedoFiles trended throughout Wednesday, according to the website Trends24.in, which tracks social media trends.
The claims were boosted by Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California.
“Something I’ve heard that doesn’t seem to be being covered are the Epstein files. These files were released. Donald Trump is sort of all over this. There are pictures of him with Jeffrey Epstein. He’s taken multiple plane flights with Epstein, with young girls aboard. He’s in call logs with Epstein,” Lieu told reporters Tuesday, urging them to look into the “highly disturbing” allegations.
“It shows that Donald Trump is unfit for office,” Lieu said
On Thursday, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung dismissed Lieu as “loser who continues to beclown himself. He has let Trump Derangement Syndrome rot his brain.”
By Friday, media attention peaked with major outlets began covering Epstein-related documents, noting Trump’s name featured prominently 69 times in the released files. However, on Saturday, the narrative took an abrupt turn after a significant event—the assassination attempt on Trump—diverted media attention elsewhere, leaving the Epstein story eclipsed.
Consequently, coverage of the Epstein story virtually vanished from the news cycle, allowing Trump and the GOP to gain incredible momentum leading up to the RNC Convention in Milwaukee. And people noticed.
Hey @JoeNBC the media is not discussing and is covering up the Epstein files. They are covering up Trump raping 12 year olds. Why?@morningmika @Morning_Joe pic.twitter.com/OcXN7SgXKB
— Barbara Sobel (@BarbaraJSobel) July 9, 2024
What are the ‘Epstein files’?
The “Epstein files,” encompass various documents and records spread across state and federal investigations, lawsuits by victims, and the criminal trial of Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. Despite ongoing public interest, there has been no concrete information linking Epstein directly to Trump.
Trump’s past statements about Epstein, including their earlier friendship, remain part of the public record. While Trump acknowledged knowing Epstein for years and attending social events with him, he has vehemently denied any wrongdoing associated with Epstein’s criminal activities.
Flight logs indicating Trump flew on Epstein’s private plane have been referenced, although they do not provide specific details about the ages or identities of other passengers. Trump has repeatedly denied allegations of misconduct related to Epstein, which surfaced intermittently during his presidency and continue to be a subject of public discourse.
Before the 2016 presidential election, a woman identified as “Katie Johnson” filed a lawsuit naming Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein as co-defendants. Johnson alleged that Trump had sexually assaulted her when she was 13, at a party held at Epstein’s residence in New York during the 1990s. The case did not progress further as the woman withdrew her lawsuit on two separate occasions in 2016, citing concerns for her safety.
In January, additional documents were unsealed in connection with a defamation lawsuit involving Ghislaine Maxwell, which included allegations implicating Trump. These allegations first surfaced publicly in 2019.
Ransome communicated via emails with a columnist from the New York Post, claiming that Trump, along with Bill Clinton and others, were involved in Jeffrey Epstein’s purported sex trafficking network. Ransome initially asserted possessing videos that proved her claim. Later, she asserted that she did not possess any such tapes and suggested that her emails had been hacked by Russian operatives.
In response to these claims, Trump spokesman Cheung stated in January that “these unfounded accusations have been completely withdrawn as they are patently false and without substance.”
Last month, following his conviction in a hush money case, Trump was asked in an interview on “Fox & Friends Weekend” whether he’d “declassify the Epstein files” if he was re-elected, and indicated he had concerns about doing so.
Initially, Trump replied, “Yeah. Yeah, I would,” but then hesitated, adding, “I guess I would,” looking panicked. He expressed concerns about potentially damaging information, saying, “You don’t want to affect people’s lives if it’s phony stuff in there, because it’s a lot of phony stuff with that whole world.”
Referring to Epstein’s death, Trump told the show, “It’d be interesting to find out what happened there, because that was a weird situation.”
Check the clip below:
Wow. Listen to the absolute fear and panic Trump has when asked if he'd declassify the Epstein files.
"I guess I would. I think that less so, because you don't want to affect people's lives if it's phony stuff in there, because it's a lot of phony stuff with that world…" pic.twitter.com/aGs4AfIyj5
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) June 5, 2024
Trump had previously commented on the various conspiracy theories surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s death. Officials from Trump’s Justice Department stated that Epstein had died by hanging himself.
During an interview with Tucker Carlson last year, Trump was asked about his thoughts on whether Epstein could have been murdered. Trump responded: “Oh, sure. I think it’s possible. I mean, I don’t really believe — I think he probably committed suicide. He had a life with beautiful homes and beautiful everything and all of a sudden he’s incarcerated and not doing very well. I would say that he did. But there are those people — there are many people. I think you’re one of them. Many people who think he was killed. He knew a lot on a lot of people.”
As the Epstein-Trump saga fades from recent headlines, attention has shifted to other news stories, marking a notable decline in media coverage surrounding their relationship and its implications
