Attorney General Pam Bondi told Donald Trump in May that his name shows up in the Jeffrey Epstein files, according to a Wall Street Journal report. She also told him the Justice Department had decided not to release more documents.
Sources told the Journal that when DOJ officials reviewed what Bondi called a “truckload” of Epstein material earlier this year, they found Trump’s name mentioned multiple times.
Bondi delivered the news directly to Trump during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago. His name was among hundreds listed in the files, which include many high-profile figures.
A senior official told the Journal that being named doesn’t prove wrongdoing. But it was enough for Bondi to bring it to the president’s attention.
White House communications director Steven Cheung dismissed the story entirely: “This is another fake news story, just like the previous story by The Wall Street Journal.”
Cheung was referring to a report published days earlier, which claimed Trump once gave Epstein a 50th birthday card with a sexually suggestive drawing and a message implying they shared “secrets.” Trump denied the story and has since filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the Journal and its parent company.
In the May meeting, Bondi also told Trump the DOJ wouldn’t release any more documents, saying they contained child pornography and information that could harm victims. Trump reportedly said he would not challenge that decision.
Still, the issue won’t go away.
Last month, Elon Musk posted—and quickly deleted—a tweet saying Trump’s name appeared in the Epstein files. The president publicly denied it, claiming he was never named.
Back in February, Bondi said the Epstein files were massive—so big, she had a “truckload” of FBI documents to go through. She even said the so-called “client list” was sitting on her desk. That same month, she released a small batch of mostly public records she called “Phase 1.”
Trump had campaigned on promises to declassify the Epstein case. But after a July 6 DOJ memo confirmed there would be no further public disclosures, even Trump’s MAGA base began pushing back. Some of his loyal supporters felt betrayed.
Under growing pressure, Trump asked Bondi to make public any grand jury transcripts related to the Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases. She asked federal judges in Florida and New York to unseal them. Both said no.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department is preparing to meet with Maxwell “in the coming days,” according to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. That same day, the House Oversight Committee approved a subpoena for Maxwell. Trump responded to the news, saying the subpoena “sounds appropriate.”
Despite all this, Trump continues trying to distance himself from Epstein. But his anger is showing.
On Tuesday, when a reporter asked about old photos showing Epstein at Trump’s 1993 wedding to Marla Maples, the president hung up the phone within 30 seconds. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said, according to CNN.
He’s also turned on some of his own supporters. On Truth Social, Trump blasted them for buying into what he called “this ‘bulls***,’ hook, line and sinker.” He added: “Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats’ work, don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore!”
Trump has repeatedly claimed the Epstein case is a “hoax” pushed by Democrats. But the documents—and his name in them—aren’t going away.
