Trump biographer counters White House spin on end of Epstein friendship

Donald Trump and his administration have repeatedly claimed that the president ended his friendship with notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein over his "creepy" conduct, but according to one-time Trump biographer Michael Wolff, the real reason was much less noble.

Trump's long friendship with Epstein has brought him no end of scrutiny, with many questioning how much the president knew about or was involved in the deceased pedophile's trafficking of underage girls. Trump has long claimed that he knew nothing of the full extent of Epstein's crimes, while a representative for the White House claimed that he ended their friendship and kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago for "being a creep."

Speaking on the latest episode of the Daily Beast podcast, "Inside Trump's Head," Wolff countered this narrative about why the friendship ended, claiming that it had, in fact, been caused by a betrayal over real estate. According to the veteran author and reporter, "Trump went behind Epstein’s back and successfully bid on a property in Palm Beach worth tens of millions of dollars," causing a "rift" to grow between the two men.

“These guys… they’re devoted to their private plans, but the thing that really makes them crazy is real estate — their quest for real estate,” Wolff explained. “If they get screwed in a real estate deal, that breaks up any rich guy relationship.”

Elaborating further, Wolff claimed that in 2004, Epstein believed he had been the top bidder for a Palm Beach property, offering $36 million for it. He took Trump on a visit to the property to get his advice about moving a pool. Trump then went behind Epstein's back and successfully outbid him with $40 million.

“Epstein is furious about this,” Wolff said.

Wolff previously published Fire & Fury, an inside account of the turmoil during the first Trump administration, which was considered damaging enough that the White House tried to block its release. He also conducted roughly 100 hours of interviews with Epstein prior to his death in 2019, as part of his effort to get to know Trump.