By Dayo Ade Olusola|M10news|US News|28 July 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday forcefully denied ever visiting the private island owned by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, telling reporters during a bilateral meeting that he cut ties with the disgraced financier years ago over inappropriate behaviour and staff poaching.
Responding to mounting questions about his past ties to Epstein — a topic gaining renewed traction amid growing political scrutiny — Trump insisted that their relationship ended long before Epstein’s criminal activities became public knowledge.
“For years, I wouldn’t talk to Jeffrey Epstein,” Trump told journalists gathered for the press availability. “I wouldn’t talk because he did something that was inappropriate.”
According to Trump, the falling out stemmed from Epstein attempting to lure employees away from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach.
“He hired help, and I said don’t ever do that again. He stole people that work for me. I said don’t ever do that again,” Trump recounted. “He did it again, and I threw him out of the place.”
“I threw him out and that was it,” he added, presenting the break as final and unequivocal.
Trump then addressed one of the most persistent rumours linking high-profile figures to Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking operation — the notorious private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Little Saint James, which prosecutors have described as the hub of his abuse network.
“I never went to the island,” Trump declared. “I did turn it down, but a lot of people in Palm Beach were invited to his island.”
“In one of my very good moments, I turned it down. I didn’t want to go to his island.”
Trump’s comments came as reporters pressed him for clarity following a recent surge in attention surrounding the release of the so-called “Epstein Files,” a trove of documents and testimony expected to detail connections between Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and a host of political, business, and entertainment elites.
While Trump’s name has previously surfaced in association with Epstein — the two were seen together in the late 1990s and early 2000s at Mar-a-Lago events — there has never been any public evidence implicating the former president in Epstein’s criminal enterprise. Trump has repeatedly denied any involvement.
The renewed attention comes amid calls from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to declassify and release the full contents of the sealed Epstein court files. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) have spearheaded a bipartisan effort in Congress demanding transparency to hold all involved individuals accountable.
Earlier this week, Trump declined to say whether he would support offering a pardon to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. But Trump noted he had the authority to grant clemency if necessary.
In the backdrop of Trump’s latest remarks, online forums and advocacy groups continue to demand answers about how Epstein operated for so long within elite social circles, and which powerful individuals may have enabled or participated in his abuse.
Trump’s sharp denial of any visit to Epstein’s island and his portrayal of their estrangement may be aimed at preempting further political fallout, particularly as public interest in Epstein’s network continues to build.
