W
hite House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the New York Times that Donald Trump ended his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein because he considered him "a creep," not due to a real estate dispute over a Palm Beach mansion, as previously reported. The administration is pushing back against stories linking Trump and Epstein, calling them "tired and pathetic attempts" to distract from the president's successes.

    In 2019, the Washington Post reported on a bidding war between Trump and Epstein for the same Palm Beach mansion, with both men trying to sway the property's trustee. However, Leavitt claims this was not the reason for their falling out. Trump has downplayed his relationship with Epstein, describing him as an acquaintance rather than a friend.

    Despite their differences, Epstein was a regular at Mar-a-Lago and had a close connection with Ghislaine Maxwell, who Trump admired. The two men's friendship reportedly ended after they fell out over the mansion. Trump later sold it to Russian businessman Dmitry Rybolovlev for $95 million.

    Trump has made public comments about Epstein being a "creep" and banned him from Mar-a-Lago. One of Epstein's victims, Virginia Giuffre, accused both Maxwell and Epstein of sex trafficking after she was hired by Maxwell to give Epstein massages at Mar-a-Lago. The president has faced backlash for downplaying the Epstein situation, with some conservative commentators criticizing his administration's handling of it.

    Trump has repeatedly tried to shift attention away from the scandal, calling it a "hoax" and accusing Democrats of perpetuating it. However, several conservative commentators have expressed dissatisfaction with the administration's response, including Tucker Carlson, who questioned Attorney General Pam Bondi about the lack of an Epstein client list.