Trump Complained to Aides That People ‘Don’t Understand’ Epstein Situation Because ‘Palm Beach in the 90s Was a Different Time’: WSJ
NBC
President Donald Trump reportedly complained to aides about people not understanding his former friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a new report.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Trump’s reaction to the growing outrage over his administration’s handling of the Epstein files on Wednesday, citing sources who gave their account of the president’s complaints to staffers in July.
“Trump, who had socialized with Epstein in New York and Florida and has said he fell out with him before his first arrest in 2006, told aides he couldn’t understand why people were so obsessed with the deceased financier and sex offender,” reported the Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources “familiar with his comments.”
Trump reportedly “groused” that “people don’t understand that Palm Beach in the 90s was a different time.”
The next day, Trump reportedly “called influential allies” to seek counsel over the controversy.
“Why is everyone so fixated on the issue? he wanted to know. What would make it die down?” the Journal reported.
Trump’s history with Epstein is well documented, with the two men appearing together in photographs at Mar-a-Lago and elsewhere between the late 80s and mid-2000s.
“He frequently came down to Atlantic City, the two of them, to attend special events,” said former Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino president Jack O’Donnell. “In my mind, it was his best friend.”
During Trump’s recent visit to the United Kingdom, photos of Trump and Epstein were projected onto Windsor Castle.
