Trump's Alleged Phone Call to Epstein After Election Shock
Donald Trump reportedly contacted Jeffrey Epstein immediately following his surprise victory over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, according to claims made by the convicted sex offender's brother.
Mark Epstein told CNN in an exclusive interview that the former president called his brother to express astonishment at the election outcome. This allegation directly contradicts Trump's previous statements that he hadn't spoken to the disgraced financier in many years.
The timing of the alleged call is particularly significant, occurring moments after Trump secured his unexpected win through crucial swing state victories in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
Contradictory Statements and Relationship Timeline
In 2019, following Epstein's arrest on sex trafficking charges, Trump publicly stated that although they were once close friends, their relationship had deteriorated and he hadn't spoken to Epstein in "probably 15 years."
"I wasn't a fan of Jeffrey Epstein let me tell you," Trump added during those 2019 remarks.
However, Mark Epstein presents a different version of events, suggesting it was actually his brother who distanced himself from Trump. According to Mark, Jeffrey Epstein "stopped hanging out" with Trump after concluding he was a "crook."
The alleged 2016 phone conversation was described as Trump seeking to share his disbelief at the election results with Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein Files Release and Ongoing Controversy
The claims emerge amid ongoing developments in the Epstein case, including the recent release of documents from the financier's estate.
In a significant policy shift, Trump recently signed legislation requiring the Justice Department to release all Epstein-related files within 30 days. He announced this move in a late-night Truth Social post, simultaneously dismissing the entire matter as a Democratic "hoax."
This represents a reversal from Trump's previous position, as he had initially opposed releasing the files and attempted to persuade Republican lawmakers to block their disclosure.
Newly released emails from Epstein's estate, shared with Congress, contain additional allegations suggesting Trump "knew about the girls" and spent considerable time at Epstein's residence with a sex trafficking victim.
In one particularly damning message, Epstein wrote: "I know how dirty donald is," according to documents from the batch of 20,000 files released by House Republicans.
Throughout these developments, Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein and maintains he was unaware of Epstein's criminal activities.
The White House has been approached for comment regarding Mark Epstein's recent claims about the 2016 election phone call.
