Former President Donald Trump departs the White House to greet reporters on the South Lawn, Wednesday, July 25, 2025. He answered questions about Jeffrey Epstein at the White House press conference. Ghislaine Maxwell’s meeting with a high-ranking official within the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Florida. It was the second day in a row of meetings for them. NPR reported that these comments were made as Trump boarded Marine One on the way to Turnberry, Scotland.
During the odd press conference, Trump took pains to condemn Epstein and distance himself completely. Without naming him, Trump emphatically declared, “I have nothing to do with the fellow.” He explained that he’d previously cavorted with Epstein for a decade before their friendship turned toxic in the middle of the ‘00s. Despite his distancing from Epstein, Trump suggested that discussions should focus on Epstein’s connections to others rather than on him.
And they should testify to that because they fail to testify to them. They talk about me,” Trump remarked. He called for public scrutiny to be directed at Epstein’s “very good friends.” He called out former President Bill Clinton and Harvard University president and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers as two members of that cabal.
Trump’s comments reflect a strategy of deflection aimed at redirecting scrutiny toward high-profile individuals associated with Epstein, while reaffirming his own distance from the convicted sex offender. He also mentioned, “Now, somebody could have written a letter and used my name, but that’s happened a lot,” implying that he might have been misrepresented in various contexts related to Epstein.
As the story continues to develop, perhaps Ghislaine Maxwell’s alleged negotiating with DOJ should be the subject of media handwringing. Her hearings will hopefully shed more light on the broader web of complicity around Epstein, and what that means for the people who supported, harbored, and enabled him.