Donald Trump alleged praise for Jeffrey Epstein resurfaces after Elon Musk claims

The relationship between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has turned sour after the latter’s departure from the DOGE, with the Tesla boss following up his criticism of the Congressional spending bill by claiming his (now former) ally is “in the Epstein files.” An allegation which has seen supposed quotes from the U.S. President about the disgraced financier resurface.

What did Elon Musk say about Donald Trump and the Epstein files?

“Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT,” Musk wrote on X, the social network he owns.

While Musk’s bombshell is sparking headlines, it’s not the first time Trump’s name has been connected to Epstein.

Back in 2020, the hacktivist collective Anonymous leaked a 91-page document known as “Jeffrey Epstein’s Little Black Book,” which allegedly included names of high-profile figures associated with Epstein’s trafficking network. Donald Trump’s name was reportedly among them - though no criminal accusations were formally made against him.

Then in February 2025, the U.S. government released the first wave of Epstein-related documents, including the infamous contact list. Trump’s name did not appear in that list, a fact that some believed cleared him.

Musk’s allegations have seen quotes allegedly made by Trump about Epstein come back into the spotlight, and there are two distinct themes.

Trump and Epstein’s mysterious relationship

Trump and Epstein reportedly moved in the same social circles from the late 1980s until the mid 2000s, with Sam Nunberg, a former Trump aide, telling the Washington Post in 2019 that “Donald would hang out with Epstein because he was rich”.

Some acquaintances, such as Mark Epstein, Jeffrey’s brother, have claimed the pair were “good friends,” while others, like Trump Organization attorney Alan Garten, told Fox News that Trump had “no relationship” with Epstein.

According to a 2002 article published by New York magazine, Trump was quite the fan of Epstein at one stage. “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy.”

And both, it seems, were even bigger fans of the opposite sex. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it - Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”

“I was not a fan of his”: Trump and Epstein’s falling out

However, the Washington Post reported their relationship became strained after 2004, a year in which they both attempted to snag the same oceanfront Palm Beach property. Talking each other down was a key part of their respective strategies to get the mansion for themselves and they drifted apart, if they were ever really that close, never to be reconciled.

When Epstein was arrested on sex trafficking charges, Trump was one of many former acquaintances keen to distance himself from the disgraced financier.

“I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you,” said Trump in the Oval Office the day after Epstein was taken into custody. In another attempt to play down the connection between the pair, Trump later stated, without going into details, that he had banned Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago Club, a claimed Garten backed up in 2019.

Good friends, convenient acquaintances, or bitter foes? The whole truth may never come out.

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