Trump Expressed Gratitude to Police for Epstein Investigation in 2006
In July 2006, President Donald Trump reached out to the Palm Beach Police Department, expressing gratitude for their investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, according to a recently uncovered FBI transcript. This revelation suggests that Trump had prior knowledge of Epstein's troubling activities involving young women and teenage girls.
Former Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter recounted in a 2019 FBI interview that Trump was among the first to call the department, thanking them for their efforts and urging them to investigate Ghislaine Maxwell, whom he described as “evil.” The transcript quotes Trump as saying, “thank goodness you’re stopping him, everyone has known he’s been doing this.”
Trump reportedly indicated that “people in New York knew Epstein was disgusting” and mentioned an encounter with Epstein where “teenagers were present,” adding that he “got the hell out of there.” This account appears to contradict Trump's previous statements claiming ignorance about Epstein's criminal activities prior to the financier's solicitation charges in Florida.
When questioned in July 2019 about any knowledge of Epstein's misconduct with underage girls, Trump firmly stated, “No, I had no idea. I had no idea.” In a follow-up inquiry regarding Epstein's recruitment of female staff from Mar-a-Lago, Trump responded, “No, I don’t know really why.”
While Reiter’s name is redacted in the transcript, he confirmed to local media that he was interviewed by the FBI in October 2019 regarding the investigation into Epstein. He reiterated that Trump did indeed call him in July 2006.
A Department of Justice official noted a lack of corroborating evidence regarding Trump's alleged call to law enforcement two decades ago. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt commented on the report, stating, “Look, it was a phone call that may or may not have happened in 2006. I don't know the answer to that question,” while emphasizing Trump’s consistent condemnation of Epstein as “a creep.”
This FBI transcript adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that Trump may have been more aware of Epstein's illicit activities than he has publicly acknowledged. The two were friends throughout the 1990s and early 2000s but reportedly fell out after Trump discovered that Epstein and Maxwell had “stolen” staff from Mar-a-Lago’s spa and due to a failed real estate deal in 2004.
Epstein and Maxwell were known for luring young women and sometimes minors under the guise of providing massages. Although Trump is mentioned in the Epstein files, he has denied any wrongdoing and has never faced formal accusations related to Epstein. Being named in these files does not equate to guilt.
Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year sentence for child sex trafficking, has maintained that Trump did not partake in any of Epstein's crimes. She reiterated this assertion during a recent deposition with the House Oversight Committee.
In a 2019 email exchange between Epstein and author Michael Wolff, Epstein claimed that Trump “knew about the girls,” though he did not elaborate on what this entailed. Trump's past comments have hinted at his awareness of Epstein's interests; in a 2002 interview with New York Magazine, he remarked that Epstein was “a lot of fun to be with” and noted that “it is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
Additionally, a report from last year revealed that Trump had sent Epstein a birthday note in 2003, which was inscribed within a drawing of a naked woman’s body. The message read, “May every day be another wonderful secret.” Trump has since denied the authenticity of this birthday letter and initiated a $10 billion lawsuit against the publication that reported it.
