Trump shuts down Jeffrey Epstein question: "Are we still talking about" him?
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
President Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting in April 2025. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump shut down a question about Jeffrey Epstein during a cabinet meeting Tuesday.
The big picture: Trump's dismissal comes after his Justice Department and FBI concluded they have no evidence that Epstein blackmailed powerful figures, kept a "client list" or was murdered, which left MAGA voices stunned and surprised.
Driving the news: "Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?" Trump asked in response to a reporter's question to Attorney General Pam Bondi about the DOJ and FBI's findings. "This guy's been talked about for years."
- "Are people still talking about this guy, this creep?" Trump said. "That is unbelievable."
- Trump pointed to the tragedy in Texas as a more important issue. He called the question a "waste" of time and a "desecration."
- "I can't believe you're asking a question about Epstein at a time like this," he added.
Zoom out: The findings from the Trump administration represented the first time that the administration butted heads with conspiracies theories about Epstein and his death.
- Both Kash Patel (the FBI's director) and Dan Bongino (now deputy director) had questioned the official version of how Epstein died as influencers. Both Patel and Bongino became more measured on the subject of Epstein after becoming Trump appointees.
Trump has dismissed questions about Epstein before. When Elon Musk and Trump had a fallout in June, Musk accused the president of being in the Epstein files. The billionaire also alleged on X Tuesday, without evidence, that former Trump adviser Steve Bannon "is in the Epstein files."
- Bannon did not respond immediately to Axios' request for comment.
- Musk later asked on X Tuesday: "How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won't release the Epstein files?"
Trump posted a statement on Truth Social from Epstein lawyer David Schoen, who said Trump wasn't implicated in any crime.
- Still, questions about Trump's connections to Epstein have circulated because they attended the same parties in the '90s.
Yes, but: While Trump wants Epstein questions to die, members of his own party in Congress don't.
- "The American people deserve to know truth ref. Epstein, regardless of who it impacts," wrote Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida) in an X post Tuesday. "The American people should be free to come to their own conclusions. The Truth will always come out one way or another."
Go deeper: Top MAGA voices stunned by Trump administration debunking Epstein theories
Editor's note: This story has been updated with X posts from Elon Musk.
