Will Trump declassify Epstein files after being elected? Here's what he said on Lex Fridman Podcast

During a recent appearance on the highly-popular Lex Fridman Podcast, US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was asked about the potential declassification of the controversial 'Epstein Files.'

Clarifying his stance on the matter, the former president said he would be "inclined" to consider making the files available to the public. Trump acknowledged that many powerful figures were associated with Jeffrey Epstein but asserted that he himself was not friends with him.

During a June 2024 interview on Fox & Friends, Trump was asked whether he would declassify various federal files, including those related to 9/11, the JFK assassination, and Epstein.

While Trump quickly agreed to release files on 9/11 and JFK, he hesitated when it came to Epstein. “I think [Epstein] less so because you don’t know, you don’t want to affect people’s lives if it’s phony stuff in there, because it’s a lot of phony stuff with that whole world,” he said.

However, he later suggested that he might still consider it, particularly in light of the suspicious circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death.

Trump also expressed interest in uncovering more details about Epstein’s death, calling it a “weird situation” due to the apparent malfunction of security cameras at the time.

“It’d be interesting to find out what happened there because that was a weird situation,” Trump mused, hinting at the ongoing mystery and speculation surrounding Epstein’s demise.

Among the many names linked to the late financier, Trump has faced persistent questions regarding the nature of his relationship with Epstein.

His association with Epstein began in the late 1980s, though the extent of their friendship remains debated. Footage from 1992, revealed by NBC News, shows the two men at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, engaging in light-hearted banter and ogling women.

Photographs from 1992 and 1997 further evidence their social interactions, including a well-known image of Trump and his then-girlfriend Melania Knauss partying with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at Mar-a-Lago in February 2000.

In a 2002 interview with New York magazine, Trump praised Epstein, saying, “I’ve known Jeff for 15 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. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”

According to flight logs, Trump was a passenger on Epstein’s plane at least seven times between 1993 and 1997. On some of these flights, Trump was accompanied by his then-wife Marla Maples and two of his young children.

However, in a January 2024 post on Truth Social, Trump denied these claims, stating, “I was never on Epstein’s Plane, or at his ‘stupid’ Island.” Despite his denial, there is no evidence suggesting that Trump ever visited Epstein’s infamous Little Saint James island in the US Virgin Islands.

Trump has repeatedly asserted that he and Epstein had a falling out long before Epstein’s first arrest in Palm Beach in 2005. The reason for the alleged rift between Trump and Epstein is unclear. Some reports suggest a dispute over a prized Palm Beach property led to the end of their friendship.

However, when asked about their relationship following Epstein’s arrest on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019, Trump downplayed their connection, claiming, “I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him.” He added, “I had a falling out with him. I haven’t spoken to him in 15 years. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you.”

Moreover, it was reported by the Miami Herald that during Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, his team inadvertently used a Gulfstream jet once owned by Epstein after Trump’s private jet experienced mechanical issues. The plane was used to attend several campaign fundraisers in August, 2024.