US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he “never had the privilege” of visiting Jeffrey Epstein's island, saying he turned down the convicted sex offender's invitation in what he called common sense.
Mr Trump's remarks were his latest attempt to distance himself from the political scandal that has erupted over his administration's handling of documents related to the Epstein case and renewed questions about his past relationship with the disgraced financier, who committed suicide in a New York jail in 2019.
“I never got to go to his island, and I declined,” Mr. Trump told reporters during a trip to Scotland. “In one of the greatest moments of my life, I declined.”
Epstein owned a private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands where he hosted prominent figures in politics, business and entertainment. Prosecutors say he used the place to hide the sexual exploitation and abuse of minors.
Mr. Trump, who dated Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, also shared new details about why their relationship ended. The president said he ended the relationship after Epstein tried to poach employees who worked for Mr. Trump.
“He hired people. And I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ He took away people who work for me,” Mr. Trump said. “He did it again. And I kicked him out as persona non grata.”
Last week, White House communications director Steven Cheung said Mr Trump had cut ties with Epstein because he considered him a “scumbag”.
The White House has come under increasing pressure from Mr. Trump's supporters and political opponents to provide more information about the Justice Department's investigation into Epstein.
US President Donald Trump (R) and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) arrive at Trump MacLeod House & Lodge on the Trump International Estate in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, north-east Scotland, July 28, 2025. Photo: Jane Barlow/Poll/AFP via Getty Images
After Attorney General Pam Bondi promised earlier this year to release additional material about Epstein's possible clients and the circumstances of his death, the Justice Department reversed itself this month, issuing a memo concluding there was no basis to continue the investigation and no evidence of a client list.
The findings have sparked outrage among some of Mr. Trump's supporters, who have long believed the government was covering up Epstein's ties to the rich and powerful.
Trump's efforts to deflect attention from the case have so far failed. On Monday, the president again called the story a “hoax.”
“This is a hoax that has been blown out of proportion,” Mr Trump said, adding that Democrats had controlled Epstein’s files for years and would have used them against him during the last presidential election if there had been anything in them.
According to flight logs from 1991 to 2005, Mr. Trump flew with Epstein on his plane at least six times. None of those trips were to Epstein’s private island.
Mr Trump has denied ever being on the plane and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
