The Epstein Files Mention Trump: Here’s What We Know
WSJ reveals Trump was told by Pam Bondi he was named in Epstein records—months before his public denial.
Trump knew he was in the Epstein files. In a horrific, but unsurprising revelation, Donald Trump has been revealed to be in the Epstein Files. The revelation by The Wall Street Journal is yet another example of the Trump administration being eaten by its rhetoric. It could very well damage his brand and his support with his base.
The Epstein Revelation
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump in May that he was named in the Epstein Files. The report, which comes on the coattails of a previous piece from the Journal, which showed that Trump sent a lewd letter to Epstein for his birthday, shows that Trump was aware of his name in the files.
As the Journal explains:
"In May, Bondi and her deputy informed the president at a meeting in the White House that his name was in the Epstein files, the officials said. Many other high-profile figures were also named, Trump was told. Being mentioned in the records isn’t a sign of wrongdoing.
The officials said it was a routine briefing that covered a number of topics and that Trump’s appearance in the documents wasn’t the focus.
They told the president at the meeting that the files contained what officials felt was unverified hearsay about many people, including Trump, who had socialized with Epstein in the past, some of the officials said. One of the officials familiar with the documents said they contain hundreds of other names.”
While not indicative of any wrongdoing by Trump, the fact that he was aware of his presence in the Epstein files in May is critical, not only because it provides important context for why Trump has been hesitant to release the files, but also serves to contradict his statements. On July 15th, Trump was asked directly if Pam Bondi had told him that he was in the files. In response, Trump said he wasn't and that Obama and the Democrats created the files. That is a blatant lie.
It is now clear that Trump was aware of his presence in the files and didn’t bother to disclose that he knew or that Attorney General Bondi had alerted him to that fact two months ago. Such deception is not unexpected from this administration, but it is unacceptable. No administration, no matter how low its standards, should hide such information from the public.
Mr. Trump's inclination to lie is telling not only because it shows that he was perfectly willing to deceive the American people, something he tries to do quite often, but also demonstrates that he was never serious about transparency regarding the Epstein files. Already, he has sued the Wall Street Journal for its reporting on the letter. In his suit, Trump argues that the Journal falsely reported that Trump "... authored, drew, and signed a card to wish the late—and utterly disgraced Jeffrey Epstein— a happy fiftieth birthday." The suit further argues that the letter is "nonexistent" and that the Journal "concocted" the story to attack Trump.
Not Just Liberal Media
It is worth noting that The Wall Street Journal is owned by News Corp, which is in turn owned by Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch is also the owner of Fox News. This is not a story out of the liberal media, as Trump and his allies would like the public to believe. Nor is the Journal the only news outlet to show Trump is more connected to Epstein than previously thought. Photos unearthed by CNN and now confirmed by The Telegraph show that Epstein attended Trump's second wedding in 1993. Simply put, Trump is more connected to Epstein than he would like to admit.
He can attempt to portray this as an attack by Democrats, but the fact remains that this reporting is not coming from outlets like The Washington Post or New York Times. It’s coming from the right. This isn’t going away.
What does this mean?
As I noted in my video on the subject, it remains unclear if there is any client list. Such evidence is limited, and proving whether Trump is on the list remains difficult. What we can safely say is that the Trump administration promised to release the files surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, and it was his administration that suddenly jumped ship on the investigation.
Such a shift in approach does not come solely from a change of opinion. Either the evidence against MAGA's conspiracism surrounding Epstein is so overwhelming that even Trump had to back off, or there is embarrassing, if not incriminating, material related to Mr. Trump in said files or his allies, and he doesn't want it released. Whatever the case, the current administration has a lot to answer for regarding Epstein, and for the first time in a long while, they don't have a plan.
References
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https://youtube.com/shorts/Xc5ucjecxms?si=3-SmDljg_M9KKBuS (July 23, 2025).
Attorney General Pamela Bondi [@AGPamBondi]. 2025. “Statement from @DAGToddBlanche: This Department of Justice Does Not Shy Away from Uncomfortable Truths, nor from the Responsibility to Pursue Justice Wherever the Facts May Lead. The Joint Statement by the DOJ and FBI of July 6 Remains as Accurate Today as It Was When It Was.” Twitter. https://x.com/AGPamBondi/status/1947622027587723365 (July 23, 2025).
Broadwater, Luke. 2025. “How Epstein Has Consumed Washington, From the White House to Congress and Beyond.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/us/politics/epstein-washington.html (July 23, 2025).
Cameron, Chris. 2025. “Trump’s Attempts to Change the Topic From Epstein: A Timeline.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/us/politics/trump-epstein-distraction-timeline.html (July 23, 2025).
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Li, Jasmine, and Sadie Gurman. 2025. “Fight Over Epstein Disclosures Brings House to Standstill.” WSJ. https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/jeffrey-epstein-files-ghislaine-maxwell-house-recess-efe1de6f (July 23, 2025).
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Robertson, Katie. 2025. “Trump Sues Wall Street Journal for Article on Note to Epstein.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/business/media/trump-sues-wall-street-journal-epstein.html (July 23, 2025).
Schorr, Isaac. “Trump Denied on Camera That Pam Bondi Told Him He Was in Epstein Files.” Mediate. https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/trump-denied-on-camera-that-pam-bondi-told-him-he-was-in-epstein-files/ar-AA1Ja4hJ (July 23, 2025).
Sebouai, Lilia. 2025. “Epstein Attended Trump’s 1993 Wedding, New Photos Reveal.” The Telegraph. https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/epstein-attended-trump-1993-wedding-102900426.html (July 23, 2025).
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Good article!