President Donald Trump was told in May by the DOJ Attorney General Pam Bondi that his name was in the Jeffrey Epstein files, according to a bombshell report published by The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
The private meeting reportedly took place in the White House and included Bondi and her deputy, Todd Blanche. Sources familiar with the discussion say Trump was briefed on the sensitive nature of the records, many of which contain the names of various high-profile individuals—Trump among them—who were either mentioned in association with Jeffrey Epstein or had socialized with him in the past.
According to the Journal, Bondi told the President that the files included what officials considered “unverified hearsay,” and emphasized that merely being named in the documents was not indicative of wrongdoing. She also reportedly reassured the President that many of the mentions amounted to secondhand allegations that lacked corroborative evidence.
Yet the revelation added fuel to an already growing fire among Trump’s MAGA base, many of whom have long demanded transparency surrounding Epstein’s extensive social and financial networks. The outrage deepened in July when the DOJ announced it would not publicly release the Jeffrey Epstein files, a reversal from Bondi’s earlier pledge to declassify the material.
In response to that backlash, Trump ordered Bondi to seek the unsealing of grand jury transcripts related to Epstein and his longtime accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a prison sentence for her role in trafficking underage girls.
Speaking to CNBC, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung downplayed the controversy and reiterated Trump’s long-standing claim of having cut ties with Epstein. “The President kicked [Epstein] out of Mar-a-Lago years ago for being a creep,” Cheung said. “This is just the liberal media recycling fake news to smear President Trump, just like they did with Russiagate.”
Bondi and Blanche issued a joint statement following the Journal’s reporting. “The DOJ and FBI thoroughly reviewed the Epstein files and determined there was no actionable evidence warranting further investigation or prosecution. We have since filed a motion in court to unseal the grand jury transcripts for transparency.”
They added, “As part of our standard briefing, we informed the President of these findings.”
Yet Trump appeared to give a conflicting account during a brief exchange with an ABC News reporter last week. When asked whether Bondi had specifically told him his name was in the Epstein records, Trump responded, “No, no. She’s given us just a very quick briefing… mostly about the credibility of these things.” He went on to allege that the records were likely fabricated by former FBI Director James Comey and weaponized by the Obama and Biden administrations.
That theory gained traction among Trump’s supporters when it was revealed that Manhattan federal prosecutor Maurene Comey—daughter of James Comey—had recently been fired from the DOJ. Her past caseload included major roles in the prosecutions of both Epstein and Maxwell.
Adding another bizarre twist, The Wall Street Journal recently published what it described as a “bawdy” letter allegedly sent by Trump to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003. The letter, reportedly created at Maxwell’s request, included text bordered by a cartoonish outline of a naked woman. The future president’s signature, “Donald,” was scrawled beneath the waist, in a spot meant to mimic pubic hair, according to the article.
“Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” the letter concluded.
Trump flatly denied the authenticity of the letter during a press briefing on Thursday, blasting the Journal’s reporting as “completely fake.”
“This is not me. This is a fake Wall Street Journal story. I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women. It’s not my language. It’s not my words,” the President said.
On Friday, Trump escalated the situation by filing a defamation lawsuit seeking at least $10 billion in damages. The lawsuit targets News Corp, its CEO Robert Thomson, Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones & Co., and the two reporters who authored the article.
“This is lawfare by the media—an outrageous and baseless attempt to interfere in the 2026 election,” a Trump campaign official said. “They’re afraid of another Trump term, and this is how they’re fighting back.”
In response, a Dow Jones spokesperson stood by the publication’s reporting, saying, “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our journalism, and we will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”
The Epstein case, long surrounded by mystery, scandal, and unanswered questions, has remained a political lightning rod. Epstein was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal child sex trafficking charges. The death was officially ruled a suicide, but widespread skepticism and conspiracy theories persist—particularly among Trump’s supporters, who argue that powerful elites conspired to silence him.
Bondi, a Trump loyalist and former Florida Attorney General, has attempted to walk a fine line between transparency and institutional caution. Her recent motion to unseal the grand jury materials appears to be a move to appease the president’s political base while containing any further fallout.
With Trump now squarely back in the political spotlight as the sitting president and a likely candidate for reelection in 2028, the Epstein controversy is once again becoming a battlefield in America’s cultural and political war. Whether it ultimately damages or vindicates the president remains to be seen.