The Epstein timeline
For one of my last columns at The Washington Post, I created a timeline of Trump’s interactions with Epstein in order to ensure that I wasn’t missing details. More have emerged since I created this, but I figured I’d share the tool publicly in case it was of use to people. Perhaps I’ll update it in the future. Perhaps not.
November 1992. Video published in 2019 shows Trump and Epstein at Mar-a-Lago, apparently ogling women at a party.
1993 to 1997. Trump flew on Epstein’s private jet at least eight times. Other members of his family often joined him.
Oct. 28, 2002. New York magazine publishes a profile of Epstein in which Trump is quoted: “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. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
July 2006. Epstein is arrested after being indicted on a charge of soliciting prostitution.
June 2008. Having reached an agreement with the office of U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta to avoid federal charges, Epstein pleads guilty to two state charges related to solicitation. He’s released the following year.
Jan. 23, 2015. Gawker publishes the contents of Epstein’s address book, redacting personal contact information. Ivana Trump, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump’s brother are included — as are 14 numbers associated with Trump himself, including numbers for Melania and Mar-a-Lago.
June 16, 2015. Trump announces his presidential candidacy.
Jan. 20, 2017. Trump becomes president.
April 27. Alex Acosta is confirmed as Trump’s Labor Secretary.
July 6, 2019. Epstein is arrested in New York and charged with sex trafficking minors. The allegations center on the years 2002 through 2005.
Aug. 10, 2019. Epstein takes his own life while detained at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City.
Nov. 22, 2019. Attorney General William P. Barr attributes Epstein’s death to a “perfect storm of screw-ups.” Two of the guards assigned to Epstein were indicted on charges of falsifying records.
July 2, 2020. Epstein’s longtime confidante Ghislaine Maxwell is charged with conspiring to help Epstein abuse minors. The timeframe of the Maxwell allegations span 1994 to 1997.
July 5. Fox News airs a photo of Epstein and Maxwell in which Trump has been edited out.
Aug. 4. In an interview with Axios, Trump suggests that Epstein might have been killed while in prison. He also says of Ghislaine Maxwell, “Her friend or boyfriend was either killed or committed suicide in jail,” Trump responded. “Yeah, I wish her well. I’d wish you well. I’d wish a lot of people well. Good luck. Let them prove somebody was guilty.” He later adds that “I’m not looking for anything bad for her.”
Jan. 20, 2021. Trump leaves the White House as Joe Biden is inaugurated president.
July 8, 2023. Donald Trump Jr. posts on social media: “Show us all the Epstein client list now!!! Why would anyone protect those scum bags? Ask yourselves this question daily and the answer becomes very apparent!!”
June 3, 2024. In an interview with Fox News, Trump is asked if he would release various information in an effort to rebuild trust with the public. Asked about the “Epstein files,” he says he would. When the interview airs, that’s all that’s shown.
But a version posted to YouTube shows that Trump continued, second-guessing his answer and adding that “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.”
Jan. 20, 2025. Trump is again inaugurated as president.
Feb. 5. Pam Bondi is sworn in as Attorney General.
Feb. 21. Bondi tells Fox News’s John Roberts that a list of Epstein’s clients is “sitting on my desk right now to review.” Several other administration officials, including FBI Director Kash Patel, offer assurances in right-wing media at different times that the evidence will be presented.
Feb. 27. A number of right-wing social media influencers are invited to the White House and given binder purporting to be Epstein files. The documents are mostly ones that were already public, including those published by Gawker a decade prior.
March 3. Bondi tells Fox News host Sean Hannity that a “truckload of evidence arrived.” She says is is “in the possession of the FBI” and that FBI Director Kash Patel will create a report about the evidence.
May 19. In an appearance on Fox News, Patel and Bongino assert that Epstein took his own life. A furor erupts on the right.
June 5. Elon Musk posts on social media: “Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”
July 7. The Justice Department releases a memo stating that there is no “client list” included among Epstein’s files. It also releases video showing that no one entered Epstein’s cell before his 2019 death. Many Trump supporters again express frustration about the lack of revelations.
July 11. Stoked by Trump ally Laura Loomer, rumors swirl about dissent within the Justice Department over the handling of the Epstein case.
Wired reports that even the “raw” Epstein cell video has been edited. A missing minute of footage from immediately before midnight is attributed by the Justice Department to a glitch in the recording software.
July 12. In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump claims that the “Epstein files” were “written by Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan” and members of the Biden administration. He also defends Bondi.