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Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump once hosted party for ‘young women' where Epstein was the only guest, says report
Donald Trump once hosted a party with 'young women' where the disgraced late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein "was the only other guest,' according to a report. The president is under pressure to release all files relating to the Epstein case, which he has so far refused to do despite a 2024 election promise. The anecdote was part of a New York Times piece on Saturday entitled 'Inside the Long Friendship Between Trump and Epstein.' It states that 'For nearly 15 years, the two men socialized together in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Fla., before a falling out that preceded Mr. Epstein's first arrest.' The piece goes on to describe Trump hosting 'a party at Mar-a-Lago for young women in a so-called calendar girl competition, Mr. Epstein was the only other guest.' President under pressure to release all files related to his former friend Epstein (New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP/) It states that the party was organized by Florida businessman George Houraney. 'Mr. Houraney recalled being surprised that Mr. Epstein was the only other person on the guest list,' it states. 'I said, 'Donald, this is supposed to be a party with V.I.P.s,' Mr. Houraney told the newspaper about the party in 2019. 'You're telling me it's you and Epstein?'' It comes just days after a bombshell report by The Wall Street Journal, which a bawdy message and doodle from Trump among an album of letters celebrating Epstein's 50th birthday. The president has denied that the drawing or letter was his doing and is now suing the Journal, News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, and two journalists. On Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi filed a motion in New York 'to release grand jury transcripts associated with' the Epstein case.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump once hosted party for ‘young women' where Epstein was the only guest, says report
Donald Trump once hosted a party with 'young women' where the disgraced late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein "was the only other guest,' according to a report. The president is under pressure to release all files relating to the Epstein case, which he has so far refused to do despite a 2024 election promise. The anecdote was part of a New York Times piece on Saturday entitled 'Inside the Long Friendship Between Trump and Epstein.' It states that 'For nearly 15 years, the two men socialized together in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Fla., before a falling out that preceded Mr. Epstein's first arrest.' The piece goes on to describe Trump hosting 'a party at Mar-a-Lago for young women in a so-called calendar girl competition, Mr. Epstein was the only other guest.' President under pressure to release all files related to his former friend Epstein (New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP/) It states that the party was organized by Florida businessman George Houraney. 'Mr. Houraney recalled being surprised that Mr. Epstein was the only other person on the guest list,' it states. 'I said, 'Donald, this is supposed to be a party with V.I.P.s,' Mr. Houraney told the newspaper about the party in 2019. 'You're telling me it's you and Epstein?'' It comes just days after a bombshell report by The Wall Street Journal, which a bawdy message and doodle from Trump among an album of letters celebrating Epstein's 50th birthday. The president has denied that the drawing or letter was his doing and is now suing the Journal, News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, and two journalists. On Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi filed a motion in New York 'to release grand jury transcripts associated with' the Epstein case.
New York Times
11 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Inside the Long Friendship Between Trump and Epstein
In the swirl of money and sun-tanned women that was their Palm Beach-and-Manhattan set, Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein spent nearly 15 years mingling side-by-side as public friends. There were lavish dinners with boldface names at Mr. Epstein's mansion on the Upper East Side and raucous parties with cheerleaders and models at Mr. Trump's private club and residence at Mar-a-Lago. In between, there were trips back and forth from Florida to New York on one of Mr. Epstein's private jets. But behind the tabloid glamour, questions have lingered about what Mr. Trump's long association with Mr. Epstein says about his judgment and character, especially as his allies have stoked sinister claims about Mr. Epstein's connections to Democrats. After their relationship ruptured, the disgraced financier ended up behind bars not just once, but two times, after being accused of engaging in sex with teenage girls. One of the young women who later said Mr. Epstein groomed and abused her was recruited into his world while working as a spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago. Another accuser recalled being eyed by Mr. Trump during a brief encounter in Mr. Epstein's office, and claimed that Mr. Epstein had told Mr. Trump at the time that 'she's not for you.' Another woman has said that Mr. Trump groped her when Mr. Epstein brought her to Trump Tower in Manhattan to meet him. This week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr. Trump gave Mr. Epstein a note for his 50th birthday in 2003 that included a sketch of a naked woman and a cryptic reference to a 'secret' the two men shared. Mr. Trump has denied writing the message and filed a libel lawsuit on Friday challenging the story. The New York Times has not verified the Journal report. Mr. Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with the Epstein case, and has said he had 'no idea' that Mr. Epstein was abusing young women. In response to a request for comment about the president's history with Mr. Epstein, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said that Mr. Trump had barred Mr. Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club 'for being a creep.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE How Trump finally put down the MAGA revolt over the Epstein Files... with the help of Fox News boss Rupert Murdoch, reveals MARK HALPERIN
In the immortal words of Jake Blues: 'We're getting the band back together.' And in Trump World, that doesn't mean a sedate jazz quartet playing Sunday brunch at Mar-a-Lago. It means the war drums are beating, the banners are flying, and the MAGA battalions—splintered just last week over Ukraine, immigration, and echoes from the Epstein grave—are once again marching in lockstep behind their brash commander, Donald J. Trump. What prompted this reunion after a rare moment of dissent and discomfort among the faithful? A Wall Street Journal article. Specifically, a story alleging that years ago, Trump sent a bawdy, perverse birthday note to none other than Jeffrey Epstein, his ambiguous bosom buddy/partner in crime /dear pal/nebulous acquaintance/welcome-unwelcome Mar-a-Lago rando drop-in. Whatever legitimate gripes MAGA influencers may have had with Trump last week over his tease-and-freeze strategy with the Epstein files, they were instantly superseded by rage at the WSJ story. Indeed, nothing can cause the MAGA compatriots to close ranks more forcefully than a projectile tossed by the mainstream press. To this crowd, the facts of the story were both irrelevant and suspect. (Obscene birthday cards to his friends? Cutely crude communiques? Dirty cartoons?) Never mind that the Wall Street Journal is owned by Rupert Murdoch, a magnate whose employees at Fox News probably stock more MAGA hats in the News Corps warehouse than Trump has golf balls at Bedminster. To Team Trump, the media is always shady, and the Journal article was the perfect trigger: spicy headline, a stench of scandal, and a clear shot at the Big Man. The signal went out: Hold all friendly fire, line up those ducks, circle the wagons. Trump is undersiege. Again. Within hours, the MAGAsphere came alive. TikTokers with red hats and ring lights declared war. MAGA mouthpieces who spent the last two weeks grumbling about 'betrayal' by the boss now leapt to Trump's defense. 'They're trying to take down our guy,' one YouTuber growled with bitter passion. 'You don't have to love every tweet. But we've seen this play before.' This is the oldest card in the Donald deck: Trump v. The Media. And no matter how many times it's used, it still works. The playbook fits neatly on the narrowest of cocktail napkins at this point: step one, the mainstream press comes for Trump; step two, the base rallies around Trump; step three, Trump rallies everyone by lobbing a few dozen all-caps posts about 'FAKENEWS' and 'EVIL LIARS' on Truth Social. There is no room for nuance or context, just blind ride-or-die loyalty. For the past month, however, as the Trump White House punted, hedged, and backtracked about its plans for Epstein transparency, in a manner both classically Washington-shifty and, frankly, cinematically weird, that loyalty showed signs of strain. A few cracks, a couple of questions, mutterings of concern and accountability. The phrase 'we love Trump but…' started creeping into podcasts and social media convos like mold into a Florida condo. Not anymore. This week, that 'but' was gone, replaced with fanatical oaths of allegiance. 'He's not perfect,' one prominent MAGA radio host said, 'but he's ours.' Never mind that the Wall Street Journal is owned by Rupert Murdoch (pictured right), a magnate whose employees at Fox News probably stock more MAGA hats in the News Corps warehouse than Trump has golf balls at Bedminster. That's as close to soul-searching as this movement gets. And the relief throughout the MAGA community was palpable. Being at odds with Trump is exhausting for this crew. It's like criticizing the sun for being too hot. Yes, it scorched you a little, but what are you going to do? Live in the dark? So now, the vibe is pure reunion tour, the Rolling Stones with fewer tee-shirts and more spicy Karoline Leavitt quotes. The 'Trump Train' is back on the tracks, and the memes are electric. As for Donald Trump, he knows exactly what happened, and how to react. Like a veteran showman who pauses mid-concert so the crowd can sing the chorus, he stoodback and watched his people belt out his favorite lyrics: WITCH HUNT! HOAX! DEEP STATE! Is it strategy or pugilism? At this point, does it matter? The result is the same: another attempted takedown turns into another rallying cry. Another week that looked like a schism ends in unity. The institutional press, which Trump paints as his biggest enemy, turns out to be, yet again, his best friend in the world. To be sure, MAGA occasionally flirts with complexity. MAGA cohorts weigh tariffs against donor wishes while sipping craft cocktails in Nashville, or argue about immigration optics while lining up for strawberry ice cream in Idaho. But when the red alert blares, the movement doesn't do gray areas. It does fealty. It does affront. It does us versus them. So, now the band is back together, singing in harmony. The song at the top of the charts is 'The Fake News Blues,' and the MAGA fans in the crowd sing along happily.
Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
Every Time Trump Was Connected To Epstein Over Several Decades
President Donald Trump's lengthy association with Jeffrey Epstein is facing renewed scrutiny Friday after a Wall Street Journal report that he gifted Epstein a sexually suggestive birthday card for the convicted sex offender's 50th birthday in 2003, about 20 years into their friendship that played out at Trump's Palm Beach estate and on Epstein's private jets. American businessman and ex-president Donald Trump, Belgian model Ingrid Seynhaeve, and American ... More businessman Jeffrey Epstein attend the Victoria's Secret 'Angels' party on April 28, 1997 in New York City. (). Getty Images 1980s Trump and Epstein met around the time Trump bought Mar-a-Lago in 1985, when Epstein was also living in Palm Beach, according to Trump, who told New York magazine in 2002 he had known Epstein for '15 years,' calling him a 'terrific guy,' and adding 'it is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.' 1992 Trump and Epstein were spotted laughing together at a party Trump threw at Mar-a-Lago, according to NBC footage of the event unearthed in 2019. 1993 Trump flew on Epstein's private jets four times in 1993, according to flight logs made public during Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell's trial, The New York Times reported. 1994 Trump flew on one of Epstein's private jets, according to the flight logs. 1995 Trump took another flight on an Epstein jet, the flight logs say. 1997 Trump took a seventh flight on one of Epstein's jets. 1997 Trump and Epstein were photographed standing near each other at a Victoria's Secret 'Angels' party, according to a Getty image of Trump posing with model Ingrid Seynhaeve that shows Epstein in the background. 2000 Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre was working at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort when she was recruited by Maxwell to work as Epstein's personal masseuse and was groomed by the two to provide sexual services for Epstein and his wealthy circle, according to a deposition Giuffre gave that was made public in 2019. 2003 Trump allegedly gave Epstein the birthday card that said 'may every day be another wonderful secret,' according to the Thursday report in the Wall Street Journal, which the president denies. 2004 Trump and Epstein had a falling out when Trump outbid him for a Palm Beach mansion, according to a Washington Post report. 'I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him,' Trump told reporters from the Oval Office in 2019 when Epstein was arrested. 'I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you.' What Does Trump's Alleged Birthday Message To Trump Say? Trump wrote Epstein a typewritten letter that also included a drawing of a naked woman and referenced a 'wonderful secret' between the two for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003, according to a Thursday report in the Wall Street Journal, which reported that it reviewed the note. The report comes as Trump has faced backlash from his base over the past two weeks after the Justice Department announced it wouldn't release any additional information on its Epstein probe, despite some previous suggestions from top law enforcement officials that it would. The text of the note allegedly reads: tk Trump's allies rallied behind him in the wake of the Journal report, with some claiming the alleged text doesn't sound like the president and others alleging the story was a coordinated attack by Democrats. Tangent Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to release 'pertinent' records from grand jury testimony in Epstein's case amid criticism of the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein probe. Key Background Epstein died by suicide in 2019 in his Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on federal charges of sex trafficking minors to his wealthy friends and associates. Trump is among a long list of Epstein's high-profile associates, including billionaire Les Wexner, Prince Andrew and former President Bill Clinton. Many of Trump's MAGA allies have pushed conspiracies about Epstein through the years, including that he was killed, rather than died by suicide, and kept an alleged list of high-profile clients. The Justice Department said last week that no such list exists and reiterated that Epstein died by suicide. Further Reading MAGA World Rallies To Defend Trump: Don Jr. Calls Epstein Birthday Card Allegations 'Insanity' (Forbes) Trump Directs Bondi To Release Some Epstein Documents, Threatens To Sue Wall Street Journal And Murdoch (Forbes) Just 17% Approve Of Trump's Handling Of Epstein Files: Poll (Forbes)
