Newly released audio recordings from 2017 show Jeffrey Epstein discussing his close relationship with Donald Trump, contradicting the former president's claims that they were not friends. The tapes, released by journalist Michael Wolff as part of his Fire and Fury podcast, capture Epstein speaking for some 100 hours about Trump's inner circle and management style.
In the recordings, Epstein describes how Trump would pit his aides against each other, telling one person that another had criticized them. Epstein names Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus, and Kellyanne Conway as targets of this strategy. Epstein also reveals Trump's habit of citing comments from figures like JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and financier Carl Icahn to manipulate his staff.
Wolff claims the tapes show Epstein was preoccupied with Trump, who he knew well, and was incredulous that such a person became president. The recordings were made during discussions about a potential biography of Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
Trump has long denied a close relationship with Epstein, despite a 2002 interview where he called Epstein a 'terrific guy.' After Epstein's 2019 arrest, Trump said he was 'not a fan.' The Trump campaign dismissed Wolff as a disgraced writer fabricating lies for profit and accused him of election interference.
The tapes also emerge amid a recent allegation from model Stacey Williams, who claimed Epstein brought her to Trump's penthouse in 1993, where Trump groped her. Trump has denied the allegation.
