Elon Musk has publicly alleged that former President Donald Trump is named in classified files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender. The claim, made in a June 5 post on Musk’s social media platform X, comes as the once-amicable relationship between the billionaire and the former president appears to have collapsed into a war of words.
“Time to drop the really big bomb,” Musk wrote. “@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”
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While Musk provided no evidence to substantiate his explosive claim, he added cryptically, “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.” The Trump campaign has not directly addressed the accusation, and the former president declined to respond to questions shouted by reporters after a White House event alongside Attorney General Pam Bondi.
In a statement to USA TODAY, Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt deflected the controversy, attributing Musk’s remarks to frustration over legislative disagreements:
“This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again,” Leavitt said.
The feud between the two high-profile figures has escalated in recent weeks. Trump has reportedly threatened to revoke government contracts with Musk’s companies, while also claiming Musk was removed from a White House advisory role due to underperformance.
In response, Musk lashed out, arguing that his support during the 2024 presidential election was instrumental in Trump’s victory and Republican control of Congress:
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” Musk posted on X. “Such gratitude.”
Background on Epstein Files
The controversy reignites public scrutiny over the “Epstein list”, a term used to refer to sealed or redacted documents believed to contain names of prominent individuals who had ties to Jeffrey Epstein. While Attorney General Pam Bondi released about 200 pages of documents earlier this year, none implicated other individuals beyond Epstein himself.
Notably, Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were photographed and filmed together at various events in the early 2000s. In a 2002 interview with New York Magazine, Trump called Epstein a “terrific guy,” noting:
“He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
Former President Bill Clinton has also faced scrutiny over his associations with Epstein, including multiple trips on Epstein’s private jet, as confirmed by 2019 flight logs. However, Clinton’s office has denied knowledge of any criminal activity.
