President Donald Trump spent several minutes during a recent press conference to defend people seen in photos alongside convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
While taking questions from reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday, Trump made efforts to defend people seen posing with Epstein in the Department of Justice's (DOJ) initial release of evidence from Epstein's two federal investigations. The files include both documents and photos that were included as part of the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA), which was cosponsored by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), and passed Congress by a near-unanimous margin.
"A lot of people are very angry that pictures are being released of other people that really had nothing to do with Epstein, but they're in a picture with him because he was at a party," the president said. "And you ruin the reputation of somebody. So a lot of people are very angry that this continues."
In another exchange, Trump ignored a reporter's question when he asked Trump if he would commit to having the remainder of the files released by the end of 2025. The reporter noted that "some of the victims were protesting that too many of [the files] were redacted." Trump not only declined to commit to a full release by year's end, but also tore into Massie, who he said was "being used by the Democrats."
"You probably have pictures being exposed of other people that innocently met Jeffrey Epstein years ago, many years ago, and they're highly respected bankers and lawyers and others," Trump said. "And they'll end up, because of guys like Massie, who's a real low-life ... But Massie is a loser. He works with the Democrats."
Trump's remarks quickly attracted ridicule on social media. Vox senior politics correspondent Andrew Prokop asked: "Is it populism to stick up for Jeffrey Epstein's banker friends?"
"If it was innocent then there should be nothing to hide," journalist David Clinch tweeted. "Who are these 'highly respected bankers?'"
"Translation to his friends: 'You are all coming down with me,'" the X account PatriotTakes wrote.
Watch the videos of Trump's remarks below:
