CNN: Trump may have known about Epstein's criminal activities in 2000s, though he denied it
Donald Trump (Photo: FRANCIS CHUNG/ EPA)

President of the United States Donald Trump may have been aware of the sexual crimes of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein back in the 2000s, despite his claims to the contrary. This was reported by CNN with reference to the materials in the Epstein case published by the Ministry of Justice.

Shortly after the law enforcement investigation into Epstein became public in the mid-2000s, Trump allegedly called the Palm Beach Police Department in Florida to express his gratitude.

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"Thank God you're stopping him. Everybody knew he was doing this," Police Chief Mike Reiter was quoted as saying.

However, it is not known what exactly he knew about Epstein's crimes.

According to the FBI document, Trump said in the conversation that people in New York "knew how disgusting Epstein was." He also said that he had once been near the financier, where underage girls were present, but "immediately left."

Already during his presidency, Trump claimed that he and Epstein had been friends since the 1990s, but in the early 2000s they had a falling out because he allegedly poached his employees.

White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt told reporters that she could not confirm whether the call took place in the mid-2000s. She emphasized that if so, it "confirms" Trump's version that he had a falling out with Epstein in the early 2000s and cut ties with the financier.

"It was a phone call that may or may not have taken place in 2006. I don't know the answer to that question. What I'm telling you is that President Trump has always said that he kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club because Jeffrey Epstein was a scumbag, and that remains true," she said.

  • november 18, 2025 U.S. House of Representatives supported the publication of the Epstein files, and on November 20, Trump signed the law on the publication of materials.
  • january 30, 2026 US Department of Justice published a new and final version of the a package of materials containing documents, thousands of photos and videos related to the Epstein case.
  • In early February, Trump repeatedly stated that "I was never friends with Epstein" and allegedly has nothing to do with this case.