From ‘Terrific Guy’ to ‘Democrat Hoax’: A Timeline Trump’s Long, Shifting Story About Jeffrey Epstein

On November 12, the House Oversight Committee released more than 20,000 pages of correspondence and travel records tied to Jeffrey Epstein’s network — documents that appear to show a far closer relationship between Epstein and President Donald Trump than the White House has long maintained. Within hours, the president fired back on Truth Social, calling the release “another Democrat hoax” pushed by “Hillary, Comey, and Schiff,” despite a timeline that doesn’t remotely align.

It was the latest twist in a two-decade effort by Trump to rewrite his connection to Epstein. In 2002, he described Epstein as a “terrific guy” who “likes beautiful women on the younger side.” Then came years of silence, followed by denials — that he “barely knew him,” that he “kicked him out of Mar-a-Lago,” that he was “a creep, a pedophile.” When Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested, Trump wished her well — twice. Now, as president, he’s recast the entire story as a partisan smear.

The timeline below compiles every public statement Trump has made — or been credibly documented making — about Epstein since 2002. Viewed together, they reveal a familiar Trump pattern: charm, distance, denial, and finally, deflection. The more facts emerge, the further the story bends.

Donald Trump — Public Statements About Jeffrey Epstein (2002–2025)

October 28, 2002 — “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” New York Magazine (Oct 28, 2002)

2004 (attributed/reported later) — Trump and Epstein allegedly “had a falling-out” around 2004 (reported causes include a Palm Beach real-estate auction and/or Epstein’s behavior toward a Mar-a-Lago employee). Trump later said he “banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago.” Washington Post (Jul 31, 2019)

2005–2008 — During Epstein’s investigation and his 2008 plea deal, Trump did not make sustained, on-the-record public comments; reporting from this period places him in Epstein’s social circle but records few new Trump quotes. Miami Herald (Epstein reporting)

2015 (reported retrospectively) — Reports cite Trump saying he “was not a fan of Epstein” and that Epstein was “kicked out of Mar-a-Lago,” comments later summarized by reporters. New York Times (Jul 9, 2019)

July 7, 2019 — After Epstein’s arrest: “I had a falling-out with him a long time ago. I haven’t spoken to him in fifteen years. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you.” Reuters (Jul 2019)

July 9, 2019 — “I wasn’t a big fan of Jeffrey Epstein … I threw him out of my Mar-a-Lago club.” Yahoo News (timeline)

July 21, 2020 — Asked about Ghislaine Maxwell’s arrest: “I just wish her well, frankly.” BBC News (Jul 21, 2020)

July 23, 2020 — Follow-up: Trump reiterated “I wish her well” and said he had met Maxwell “numerous times” in Palm Beach. CNN (Jul 23, 2020)

August 3–4, 2020 — In the Jonathan Swan interview (Axios on HBO): “I know nothing about [Epstein]. I know he was from Palm Beach. But I was not — I haven’t spoken to him in fifteen years.” Axios on HBO transcript (Aug 2020)

November 2023 — At a rally, he called the Epstein story a “Democrat hoax” and invoked “Hillary, Comey, Schiff” as part of a political framing to discredit renewed attention to Epstein-related material. Rolling Stone (Nov 2023)

May 2024 — “I knew him, like everybody in Palm Beach knew him. But I kicked him out of Mar-a-Lago. He was a creep, a pedophile, and I wanted nothing to do with him.” Newsweek (May 2024)

July 15, 2025 — “He’s been dead for a long time. I don’t understand the fascination. It’s sordid, but it’s boring.” (referring to Epstein) Yahoo News (Jul 15, 2025)

July 28–29, 2025 — On Air Force One: “I never went to his island … He stole people that worked for me — the spa girls. I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ … I threw him out — persona non grata.” PBS NewsHour (Jul 2025)

November 12, 2025 — Truth Social post responding to House Oversight release of emails: “The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again because they’ll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they’ve done on the Shutdown, and so many other subjects.” The Independent (reporting Truth Social post, Nov 12, 2025)

Notes: this document collects publicly documented on-the-record statements and widely cited attributed comments from 2002–2025. Items labeled “(attributed / reported later)” indicate the remark or event was reconstructed by reporters or appears in later accounts rather than being a contemporaneous Trump quotation.