President Donald Trump has downplayed his connections to Jeffrey Epstein and “was never on Epstein’s Plane” or visiting his “stupid” island. This week, the release of thousands of pages related to Epstein’s federal criminal investigations is making that claim difficult to maintain.
In an essay, The Atlantic’s Sarah Fitzpatrick explained that the latest batch of documents from the Department of Justice shows Trump flew on Epstein’s jet more than seven times. Fitzpatrick also pointed out that Trump’s name appears over 100 times in the newly released material, which contradicts the claim that his connection was a brief and insignificant encounter with a well-known figure.
Fitzpatrick highlights that many mentions of Trump seem to come from news reports or tips to the FBI that are not confirmed in the documents. Still, she argues that the overall picture is hard to ignore. “Although many references to Trump are clearly from news reports or seemingly unverified tips to the FBI, one conclusion from the files is that Trump’s relationship with Epstein, a former friend, was of interest to federal law enforcement for years,” Fitzpatrick wrote.
One entry that stands out is an FBI tip alleging that an unnamed person claimed the eventual 45th and 47th president assaulted an underage girl along with Epstein in the 1990s. The documents, as Fitzpatrick explains, don’t present this as a confirmed fact, but their inclusion in the file release shows the deep investigative interest and how sensitive the paper trail remains.
The Epstein files on the DOJ website allow you to highlight the redacted text, copy it, and paste it into another document, which reveals what was hidden. You can also press Ctrl+F and search for “Trump ” (with a space) to see his name appear more than 600 times. #OpDeathEaters pic.twitter.com/bLi1eU1QOB
— Anonymous (@OpDeathEaters) December 23, 2025
Fitzpatrick also quoted Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), the main co-sponsor of the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Trump signed into law last month after months of resistance. Massie told Fitzpatrick that the releases to date have already contradicted the public statements from key Trump allies.
“Although the files are overly redacted, they’ve already shown that the narrative presented by Patel in hearings, Bondi in press statements, and Trump himself on social media wasn’t accurate,” Massie said. “A full disclosure consistent with the law will show there are more men implicated in the files that the government has.”
The Trump administration has not identified 10 alleged co-conspirators whose names remain redacted in one document released this week. According to Fitzpatrick, some members of the House Oversight Committee are preparing subpoenas to uncover those names. At the same time, committee members are reportedly drafting a contempt resolution aimed at Attorney General Pam Bondi, indicating that lawmakers are gearing up for a public confrontation with the Justice Department over what information is still being withheld and why.
Democrats are expressing their anger openly. “The Department of Justice needs to disclose more about who was on the list, how they were involved, and why they chose not to prosecute,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. “Protecting possible co-conspirators is not the transparency the American people and Congress are demanding.”
The Epstein Files has been a disaster for Trump, and he reluctantly took a political risk by signing on it’s release. Trump and many of his allies, such as Kash Patel and Pam Bondi, campaigned on getting the files released. So far, the files continue to deliver surprises that don’t look good for the president.
