Bill Clinton says he’s aware of what caused the reported rift between Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump, despite the pair once being widely seen together.
Trump and Epstein were known to have moved in similar social circles in the 1990s and 2000s, and they were photographed together multiple times. One of the best-known images shows them at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Florida, in 1997.
Their connection appeared to span years, with Trump describing Epstein as a “terrific guy” during a 2002 interview.
Another report alleged the two were friendly for around 15 years, and claimed that during that period Trump hosted a party involving “young women” where Epstein was said to be the only guest.
At some point, the relationship supposedly deteriorated ahead of Epstein’s 2019 arrest. When Epstein was taken into custody, Trump said he hadn’t spoken to him in 15 years, according to PBS.
While the reason for their apparent falling-out has long been unclear, Clinton has now offered an explanation based on what he says Trump told him.
During an interview with the House Oversight Committee last week, Clinton said the pair split over “a real estate deal.”
“Donald Trump would come out and play a few holes [of golf] with us,” the former president shared. “He somehow knew I had flown in Jeffrey Epstein’s aircraft. And he said, ‘You know, we had some great times together over the years, but we fell out all because of a real estate deal’.”
Clinton added that Trump allegedly told him he felt “sorry” that the breakdown in their relationship had occurred.
According to Clinton, Trump did not go into detail about the “great times” he referenced, nor did he provide any further specifics about the real estate disagreement that supposedly triggered the split.
Clinton and Trump have both maintained that they did not witness signs of sex trafficking prior to Epstein’s first arrest in 2008. Epstein later pleaded guilty to state charges in Florida, including procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute, and served 13 months in county jail.
In another portion of Clinton’s deposition, he was questioned about Epstein’s death and whether he believed Epstein died by suicide.
He was asked: “I would just like to ask you, personally and directly: do you believe that Jeffrey Epstein killed himself?”
Following exchanges between Cheryl Mills and the committee member asking the question, Clinton ultimately responded: “I don’t know. I don’t know what the medical finding was. I think maybe he finally got caught and– I don’t know.”