Timeline of a friendship What we know about Trump's relationship with Epstein
For decades, Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein met again and again - at parties, on private jets. Photos show them with young women. A chronological reconstruction of their relationship.
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- More and more emails, photos and documents are being published that show Donald Trump in a close relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
- The materials prove a long-standing connection between the two, including joint parties and alleged contact with young women.
- Trump has since denied a close friendship with Epstein; back in 2019, he stated that he had "never been a fan of his".
Democrats in the US House of Representatives released new emails on Wednesday that link US President Donald Trump more closely to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
But when exactly did Epstein write these messages - and what was Trump's relationship with him like? A chronological classification.
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Liveticker closed
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1980s
It is unclear when and how Trump and Epstein met. In 2002, Trump told New York Magazine that he had known Epstein for 15 years.
Their friendship therefore began in the late 1980s. In 1985, Trump bought the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, while Epstein purchased a villa nearby in 1990.
"In my opinion, Epstein was Trump's best friend," a former employee of Trump's Plaza and Casino Hotel told CNN in the summer of 2025.
He also claims that Trump and Epstein once illegally brought women who were too young to the casino in Atlantic City, where they often spent time together.
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1992
The first public footage of the two dates back to 1992. Video footage from NBC shows Trump and Epstein at a party at Mar-a-Lago. Trump dances with young women, whispers something in Epstein's ear and laughingly points in the direction of the dancers.
A short time later, Trump organizes a party at Mar-a-Lago, which Epstein also attends. This is what businesswoman Jill Harth later recounts.
According to her, Trump sexually harassed her at the party. She filed a lawsuit in 1997, which was later dropped. Trump denies the allegations.
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1993
In 1993, Epstein is a guest at Trump's wedding to his second wife Marla Maples at the Plaza Hotel in New York. Photos of the event are published in 2025.
In 2024, model Stacey Williams claims that Donald Trump sexually harassed her in 1993 when Epstein brought her to Trump Tower. Trump denies the allegations.
Between 1993 and 1997, Trump also flew in Epstein's private jet between Palm Beach and New York several times. This is shown by flight logs that will be presented as evidence in the trial of Epstein's partner Ghislaine Maxwell in 2021.
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1995
In 2025, Maria Farmer says that Epstein called her into his office late at night in 1995, where Trump "leaned over her" and "stared at her bare legs". The White House denies that this encounter took place.
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Late 1990s
Between 1997 and 2000, Trump and Epstein were regularly seen at the same events. In 1997, they attended a Victoria's Secret party together in New York; a photo shows them next to model Ingrid Seynhaeve.
Video footage from CNN shows Trump and Epstein laughing and chatting at a Victoria's Secret fashion show in 1999. And there is a picture from 2000 of Trump and Epstein together with Melania Trump - then Knauss - and Epstein's partner Ghislaine Maxwell.
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2000
In 2000, 16-year-old Virginia Giuffre was working at the Mar-a-Lago spa when she was approached by Maxwell. Maxwell offers her a job as a masseuse.
Giuffre later becomes one of Epstein's best-known victims. She testifies that Maxwell and Epstein forced her to have sex with powerful men - including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a prince of the British royal family. He denies the allegations and civil proceedings are settled out of court in 2022.
Giuffre takes his own life in April 2025. In October 2025, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor loses his royal titles.
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2002
Trump calls Epstein a "great guy" in New York Magazine in 2002. "He's a lot of fun to be with. They even say he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them tend to be younger."
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2003
Epstein celebrates his 50th birthday in 2003. His partner Maxwell compiles an album with letters, photos and drawings from his friends. The entire contents are published in September 2025.
One note, apparently written by Trump, shows a drawing of a naked female figure and an imaginary dialog between Trump and Epstein. Trump's signature is under the sketch. He denies having written the letter and the sketch.
![The birthday message from Trump to Epstein on his 50th birthday.]()
The birthday message from Trump to Epstein on his 50th birthday. ZVG -
2004
In 2004, there is a break in the relationship between Epstein and Trump. According to reports, because both wanted to buy the same property in Palm Beach. Trump outbids Epstein - and sells the property on four years later.
From this point on, there are no more known joint appearances between the two.
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2007
In 2007, the media reported that Epstein had been expelled from the Mar-a-Lago private club because he had molested the daughter of a club member.
In July 2025, Trump tells the story differently: Epstein had poached female employees from the club. "I said, 'Don't ever do that again. And he did it again. That's when I kicked him out," he tells the media.
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2011
An email published in 2025 dates back to 2011. In it, Epstein tells his partner Maxwell that Trump "spent hours in my house" and refers to Trump as a "dog that didn't bark".
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2015
Epstein's "Little Black Book" is published - an address book containing 1571 personal contacts of Jeffrey Epstein. It also contains the name Donald Trump.
In the same year, author Michael Wolff informs Epstein by email that CNN will ask Trump about their relationship.
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2018
Epstein contacts the Chairman of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, to ask him to contact the Russian leadership. He allegedly wants to provide the Kremlin with information about Trump. Epstein also claims to have spoken to Russia's UN ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, about Trump.
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2019
Epstein was arrested in July 2019. In a previously sent email, he mentions Mar-a-Lago and an anonymized victim - and writes: "Of course Trump knew about the girls." One month later, Epstein takes his own life in his cell.
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2020
Epstein's partner Ghislaine Maxwell is arrested. "I've met her several times over the years. I wish her all the best, whatever it may be," Trump says at a press conference.
A year and a half later, Maxwell is found guilty of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. For years, she systematically recruited minors for Epstein, who then sexually abused them.
Since 2019, Trump has been under pressure to explain his former relationship with Epstein. "I was not a fan of his," he said at the time. However, the published photos, documents and emails paint a different picture of their time together.
So far, there have been no legal consequences: Trump does not appear in any indictments and denies any connection with Epstein's crimes. The White House is also sticking to this narrative. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt calls the published emails a "constructed hoax by the Democratic Party".
