President Donald Trump forcefully denied any involvement with Jeffrey Epstein this week, declaring he has been “totally exonerated” despite tens of thousands of mentions and fresh accusations appearing in the latest batch of documents tied to the disgraced financier.
Public and media scrutiny has intensified following the release at the end of January of roughly 3 million pages of Epstein-related records. Among those pages were more than 5,300 documents that mention Trump, along with multiple claims of sexual misconduct referenced in FBI materials.
One document included an allegation from a witness who claimed to have heard Trump brag that he and Epstein raped a girl together. The accusation is contained within the broader release of files that have reignited debate and political finger-pointing in Washington.
Trump addressed the matter Monday night while speaking to reporters in the press cabin aboard Air Force One during his return to the White House from Mar-a-Lago. He was asked about comments made by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a BBC interview, in which she said she and former President Bill Clinton were being “pulled in” to the Epstein matter in order to divert attention from Trump. She also suggested that Trump’s administration may have something to hide.
The president flatly rejected the notion.
“I have nothing to hide! I’ve been exonerated! I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein,” Trump said in response to the reporter’s question.
He insisted that those reviewing the files had hoped to find damaging information about him but instead uncovered the opposite.
“They went in hoping that they’d find it and found just the opposite. I’ve been totally exonerated,” Trump said.
The president also claimed that Epstein had opposed his political ambitions, asserting that Epstein was “fighting that I don’t get elected with some author,” whom Trump described as a “sleazebag.” He repeated that he had been “totally exonerated.”
Turning the focus back on the Clintons and other Democrats, Trump suggested they are the ones now facing scrutiny as more details emerge from the files.
“No, no, they’re getting pulled in. And that’s their problem,” Trump said. “They’re gonna have to see what happens.”
Trump also referenced watching Clinton in Munich, saying she “seriously has Trump derangement syndrome,” a phrase he has used in the past to describe critics he believes are fixated on opposing him.
When asked whether he believes Clinton should publicly testify regarding the Epstein matter, Trump reiterated his stance.
“You know, I’ve been totally exonerated on Epstein,” he said. “And it’s really interesting because they’ve been pulled in. Think of it. They’ve been pulled in. Clinton and many other Democrats have been pulled in.”
The renewed spotlight on the Epstein files has once again placed high-profile political figures under intense public examination. While the documents contain thousands of references and allegations, Trump is making clear that he views the latest developments not as a liability, but as confirmation of his innocence — and as evidence that political opponents are now facing the very scrutiny they once directed at him.
