E-Paper
Donald Trump Jr met Epstein in 2019? New files show meeting discussion, spark controversy; ‘needs to be investigated'
Newly released Epstein Files indicate Jeffrey Epstein allegedly sought a meeting with Donald Trump Jr. months before the former's death.
Email exchanges between Jeffrey Epstein and Andrew Farkas suggest a possible attempt to allegedly set up a meeting with President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr. These conversations became public as the Justice Department released the final tranche of Epstein Files on Friday.
Epstein wrote in these emails to real estate executive Andrew Farkas that he would like to meet Donald Trump Jr., or "Don Jr." as he is generally known, months before his death.
Read more: Who is Cecilia Steen? Epstein mails seen in archive; ‘carry you in my heart’
Mentions of “Don Jr.”
In a January 27, 2019, email from Epstein's files, it appears that Epstein asked Andrew Farkas to set up a coffee meeting with “Don Jr” on Thursday or Friday, adding he liked funny people.
Another document from the files shows Farkas replied to the email saying, “I won't be here. Let me send you some dates.”
A subsequent email sent to Farkas on January 29, 2019, that asked about this meeting said, “Don Jr. dates?” The email that followed appeared to be a calendar alert for the meeting scheduled for February 4, 2019, at 8 a.m.
It is not clear if the meeting actually took place on the scheduled date and time.
Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019 and was charged with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy. He was then found dead in his prison cell on August 10, 2019.
Social media reactions
Social media users assumed that the “Don Jr.” referenced in the emails is Donald Trump Jr. and called him out for his previous comments on the Epstein Files.
Multiple posts on X were questioning the reason for a meeting between the two. @KittnHasClaws wrote, “Why was Don Jr. meeting with Epstein in 2019?”
A user on X tagged a 2024 post from Trump Jr., where he was defending his father and denying his presence on the Epstein Files alongside the recent emails with “Don Jr”. The user wrote, "This tweet hasn’t just aged poorly—it’s become the textbook on it. Trump is the MOST frequently mentioned person in the Epstein files and Don Jr. HIMSELF APPEARS IN THEM AS WELL. Watching this "family" lie openly to American's faces while supporters cheer is surreal."
Another user called for an investigation into the alleged meeting between Trump Jr. and Epstein months before his arrest and death. The user wrote on X, “You seriously can’t make this up. The CEO of Island Capital (ultra cringe) was trying to organize a meeting between @DonaldJTrumpJr and Jeffrey Epstein. This needs to be investigated.”
