What to Know
People have long had questions about President Donald Trump’s relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and in some ways, the recently released Epstein documents have left us with more questions than answers. The Department of Justice recently released millions of Epstein documents, as mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Many of the documents show conversations Epstein had with high-profile men, such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk. And though Trump has said he ended his friendship with Epstein ages ago, an email from 2016 has raised questions about that claim.
In 2016, Epstein claimed he was with “all the Trump boys.”
It’s not clear exactly what “all the Trump boys” means, but the email exchange has made some question whether Trump or other members of his family were still in contact with Epstein just after the 2016 election. In an email to Bill Gates’ advisor Boris Nikolic, Epstein wrote, “I’m in palm with all the trump boys. . = fun” (per the Daily Beast). The email was dated December 25, 2016.
Nikolic wrote back, “Have fun!! Hope to see you on the 4th. I leave for SF on the 5th.” When the recent “Epstein files” were released, the Department of Justice claimed that people should be aware that some of the files might be “fake.” Officials specifically mentioned Trump in a press release, claiming, “Some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. To be clear, the claims are unfounded and false, and if they have a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already.”
The release explained that the inclusion of allegedly “fake” documents was because “everything that was sent to the FBI by the public was included in the production that is responsive to the Act.”
Officials acted the same way when asked about the “Trump boys” email.
The Daily Beast also asked the White House about the questionable email, and a spokesperson responded by calling Epstein “a known liar” who cannot be trusted. This is not the first Epstein correspondence that has mentioned Trump. In July 2025, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump allegedly sent Epstein a birthday card in 2003. The letter read, “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” and included a note that stated, “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey.” Trump called the letter “fake” and said, “These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures.”
And when a photo of Trump with several women was shared by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee in December 2025, Trump acted like the Epstein photos were no big deal because “he has photos with everybody.”
When asked about the photo, Trump said, “Well, I haven’t seen it, but I mean everybody knew this man. He was all over Palm Beach; he has photos with everybody. I mean, almost—there are hundreds and hundreds of people that have photos with him, so that’s no big deal. I know nothing about it.”
