President Donald Trump brushed aside attempts by reporters to link him to Jeffrey Epstein on Friday after the House Oversight Committee released a new batch of photographs that included several images of Trump. The president dismissed the photos as meaningless and emphasized that Epstein was a widely known figure who appeared in pictures with countless prominent individuals.
The exchange occurred in the Oval Office just moments after Trump hosted the 1980 U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team to award them Congressional Gold Medals. When a reporter asked about the newly released photographs, Trump made clear he wasn’t concerned.
“I haven’t seen it,” Trump said, “but everybody knew this man; he was all over Palm Beach, he has photos with everybody. There are hundreds and hundreds of people that had photos with him. So that’s no big deal.” He then added, “I know nothing about it,” before moving on.
The Oversight Committee on Friday published two sets of images taken from a massive cache of more than 90,000 photos obtained from Epstein’s estate.
The release included images of Epstein with former President Bill Clinton, Steve Bannon, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Trump also appeared in several photos — one with Epstein, another with a woman whose face was redacted, and a third with six women whose faces were similarly obscured.
Lawmakers claim the full trove contains “pictures of people engaged in sexual acts,” though they did not identify anyone involved and gave no indication that the individuals shown publicly were connected to any criminal behavior. The committee suggested the full archive is still being reviewed.
Trump has repeatedly denied knowing anything about Epstein’s criminal activities, and nothing in the released material contradicts that. Reporters and political opponents, however, have seized on the photos to renew speculation surrounding Epstein’s social network — speculation that historically has extended well beyond Trump and has entangled celebrities, billionaires, and politicians from across the political spectrum.
Friday’s release underscores that Epstein moved in elite circles for decades, routinely appearing in photographs with high-profile Republicans and Democrats alike. Trump’s response highlighted that point, stressing that casual photos taken at public events or social gatherings are not evidence of deeper association, much less wrongdoing.
The renewed media attention on Epstein’s social contacts comes as the House Oversight Committee continues its broader review of material recovered from Epstein’s estate. Committee members have suggested additional disclosures may be forthcoming, but for now the publicly released photos primarily depict Epstein attending events with a variety of well-known figures.
For Trump, the timing and framing of the release were familiar — yet another attempt by political opponents and media outlets to manufacture scandal out of photos taken decades ago in widely circulated social settings. And as he made clear in the Oval Office, he views the entire effort as just another distraction.
“Everybody knew this man,” Trump reiterated. “It’s no big deal.”
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