Trump knew Epstein socially in the 1990s and early 2000s. During the 2021 trial of Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell, the financier's longtime pilot, Lawrence Visoski, testified that Trump flew on Epstein's private plane multiple times. Trump has denied ever being on the plane and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized fellow Republicans on Wednesday for questioning his administrations handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Labeling the controversy a Democrat hoax, Trump accused GOP

Right-wing Republicans have also criticized the president’s stances on Iran and Ukraine, hinting at a broader fraying of his political coalition.

In January 2024, a court unsealed nearly 1,000 pages of documents collected as evidence in a lawsuit filed by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide on April 26 at her home in Neergabby, Australia, against Maxwell.

President Trump's base is erupting in turmoil over the administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case files. Trump took to social media this weekend in an attempt to calm tensions and made a detailed plea to his base to leave the Epstein matter in the past.

Democrats are echoing criticism from the right of how Donald Trump and his administration have handled case files related to Jeffrey Epstein — a change from Trump’s first term.