Donald Trump’s controversy just became more uncertain, not due to a new indictment or court issue, but because of a line in an old email from his former bestie Jeffrey Epstein.
On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, former Palm Beach County state attorney Dave Aronberg focused on one specific exchange from the recently released Epstein emails. He argued that this message should concern Trump’s team more than anything else in the collection. The email, sent in 2011 from Epstein to Ghislaine Maxwell, referred to Trump as “the dog that hasn’t barked.”
Aronberg explained that hidden among thousands of messages from the disgraced financier is a lot of information that could create significant political and reputational problems for Trump. However, this 2011 note stood out because of its timing; it came before Trump’s serious 2016 presidential run, which makes it harder to dismiss as merely political rhetoric.
“But keep in mind, in 2011, that’s when you saw perhaps the most damaging email,” Aronberg told the panel, emphasizing the message where Epstein mentioned that a victim “spent hours at my house” with Trump and added that Trump was “the dog that hasn’t barked.” He pointed out that this was long before Trump entered the Oval Office and before the MAGA movement started.
Jeffrey Epstein: “I have met some very bad people. None as bad as Trump. Not one decent cell in his body.” pic.twitter.com/wmVpwsXhkX
— Home of the Brave (@OfTheBraveUSA) November 13, 2025
Aronberg asked a straightforward question that if Epstein was lying, why would he lie then and about that specific issue? In the email, Epstein seemed surprised that Trump’s name hadn’t become a bigger part of the scandal. Summaries of the released documents show that Epstein wrote the unnamed victim had spent hours with Trump, yet “he has never once been mentioned.”
None of this proves Trump committed a crime, and Aronberg was careful to clarify that. “There is no evidence here of a crime by Donald Trump,” he stated, before adding, “but he’s sure acting like there is. And the controversy isn’t going away until they release the files.” He believes the political damage stems more from what is not being disclosed than from what is known.
Aronberg argued that Trump made a significant mistake by not addressing the story directly. He suggested that the president could have shut down speculation by being completely open. “Trump should have gotten in front of all of this and said, ‘I kicked the guy out of the club. He’s a creep. And yes, I was friends with him, but I’m going to be completely transparent and release all the files,’ because the cover-up can be worse than the crime,” he said.
Instead, Trump has continued to distance himself from Epstein, claiming he barely knew him and has nothing to hide, even as new court records and congressional releases spark fresh questions about their relationship. Public records reveal that Trump and Epstein socialized for years in Palm Beach, that they were photographed together at Mar-a-Lago, and that their social circles included some of Epstein’s later accusers.
The 2011 email does not accuse Trump of any misconduct; in fact, Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most notable accusers, has stated she did not accuse Trump of wrongdoing. However, the political fallout continues.
For Trump’s supporters, the concern is not just about what the emails contain, but also how they could be used. Democrats have already indicated that they view the Epstein documents as valuable for oversight and messaging. Each new disclosure offers them another opportunity to remind voters of Trump’s long and uncomfortable connection to one of the century’s most infamous predators.
There may never be a “smoking gun” in the Epstein archives that directly implicates Trump in a crime. But in the court of public opinion, a single odd sentence from 2011, written by someone who knew where all the skeletons were hidden, could be damaging enough.
