President Donald Trump snapped at a reporter on Friday after being asked about newly released emails connected to the late Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted child sex trafficker whose name continues to haunt American politics years after his death.
The tense exchange happened aboard Air Force One. Reporters pressed Trump about comments Epstein made in emails more than a decade ago, including a claim that Trump βknew about the girls.β It was a remark Epstein sent in 2011 to author Michael Woff. The message did not explain further, but the wording raised new questions about what Trump may have known at the time.
The House Oversight Committee released thousands of Epstein emails this week. Some messages included redactions, which only added more confusion and political spin. One email said that Trump βspent hours at my houseβ with a person whose name was removed and replaced with the label βVictim.β Democrats said the redaction was necessary. Republicans said the name was that of Virginia Giuffre and accused Democrats of twisting the story.
Giuffre, who publicly said she never saw Trump do anything wrong, died by suicide earlier this year. Another email included Epsteinβs claim that he βgaveβ his ex-girlfriend to Trump. That remark also lacked detail and set off more debate.
With the Capitol still buzzing over the release, Trump boarded Air Force One and took questions. The moment turned combative fast.
A reporter asked, βMr. President, what did Jeffrey Epstein mean in emails when he said you βknew about the girlsβ?β
Trump shook his head and dismissed the idea. βI know nothing about that. They wouldβve announced that a long time ago,β he said.
He then tried to steer the attention elsewhere, saying reporters should look at Epsteinβs relationships with other powerful men, including former President Bill Clinton and former Harvard President Larry Summers.
βItβs really, what did he mean when he spent all the time with Bill Clinton, with the president of Harvard, who you know, that is Summers, Larry Summers, whatever his name is, and all of the other people that he spent time with,β Trump said.
He added that Epstein did not like him for years. βJeffrey Epstein and I had a very bad relationship for many years, but he also saw a strength because I was president. So he dictated a couple of memos to himself. Give me a break,β Trump said.
Then he pushed the press to look elsewhere. βYou gotta find out what did he know with respect to Bill Clinton, with respect to the head of Harvard, with the respect of all of those people that he knew, including JPMorgan Chase.β
Another reporter tried again, asking, βSir, if thereβs nothing incriminating in the filesββ
Trump quickly cut them off. βQuiet! Quiet!β he snapped, before moving on to a question about Venezuela.
Trump: Epstein and I had a very bad relationship for many years. You have got to find out what did he know with respect to Bill Clinton⦠all those people that knew including JP Morgan Chase..
Reporter: If there is nothing incriminating in the files, why notβ
Trump: QUIET!β¦ pic.twitter.com/rtyEXSbFL1
β Acyn (@Acyn) November 15, 2025
The pressure on the administration over the files has grown. Attorney General Pam Bondi had once claimed Epsteinβs client list was βsitting on my desk right now,β but later changed her story and said no such list existed. She reportedly told Trump his name is in the files, adding even more fuel to the weekβs drama.
Lawmakers are set to vote Tuesday on whether to demand the Department of Justice release the files.
Featured image via Youtube screengrab
