28 Jul ‘Never had the privilege’: Trump’s strange brag about Epstein island sparks outrage
This single sentence ignited a firestorm across social media. Critics honed in on the word “privilege” and questioned why it was used in the same breath as Jeffrey Epstein’s private island, known widely for its links to child abuse and sex trafficking.
The backlash was immediate. One user wrote, “Never had the privilege — yah the President of the United States is a paedophile of the highest order and should be treated as such.” Another posted, “Jeffrey Epstein’s Island and privilege in the same sentence. IN THE SAME SENTENCE. we all know u were there.”
Trump, unfazed in his delivery, went further during the press conference. “I never went to the island, and [former president] Bill Clinton went there supposedly 28 times. I never went to the island, but [former Treasury Secretary] Larry Summers, I hear, went there, he was the head of Harvard. And many other people that are very big people, nobody ever talks about them,” he added.
Trump deflects, says he ended contact over Epstein’s ‘inappropriate’ behaviour
Pressed again by reporters, Trump insisted he had long severed ties with Epstein. He explained, “For years, I wouldn’t talk to Jeffrey Epstein. I wouldn’t talk because he did something that was inappropriate.”
“He hired help, and I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ He stole people that work for me. I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ He did it again,” Trump said. “And I threw him out of the place persona non grata. I threw him out, and that was it. I’m glad I did, if you want to know the truth. And by the way, I never went to the island.”Trump had previously banned Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago estate, a move he now presents as proof of his disapproval and distance.
The island at the heart of a global scandal
Little St James, Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, was bought in 1998. Described in court documents as “the perfect hideaway and haven for trafficking young women and underage girls for sexual servitude, child abuse and sexual assault,” it became known locally as “paedophile island”.
A criminal complaint from the Virgin Islands attorney general stated, “Epstein and his associates could avoid detection of their illegal activity from Virgin Islands and federal law enforcement, and prevent these young women and underage girls from leaving freely and escaping the abuse.”
One of the most harrowing testimonies came from Virginia Giuffre, who first encountered Ghislaine Maxwell while working at Mar-a-Lago. Giuffre alleged that Maxwell recruited her under the pretext of massage training before introducing her to Epstein. She claimed she was flown on Epstein’s private jets to locations including London, Paris, and Palm Beach, as part of a network that sexually exploited young girls.
Giuffre accused Prince Andrew of sexually abusing her on the island when she was 17, an allegation the royal denied. In 2022, he reached an out-of-court settlement without admitting liability. Giuffre died by suicide earlier this year in Australia at the age of 41.
DOJ interviews Maxwell, files remain sealed
The Epstein case remains far from closed. Just last week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche visited Ghislaine Maxwell in prison. According to her lawyer, she named around 100 individuals during their meeting. However, authorities stressed that being named is not the same as evidence of wrongdoing.
Despite public calls for transparency, the US Department of Justice has said no further Epstein-related documents will be released. The move sparked anger among Trump’s supporters who had expected more revelations.
On the 2024 campaign trail, Trump promised to declassify the files. That promise now looks distant.
Legal pressure mounts over Wall Street Journal report
The controversy deepened when the Wall Street Journal published claims that Trump had sent a crude birthday card to Epstein featuring a drawing of a naked woman. Trump denied the report and responded by filing a $10 billion lawsuit against the Journal’s parent company Dow Jones, Rupert Murdoch, and two journalists.
Separately, the Journal also reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi had informed Trump his name appeared in the Epstein files. When asked about this, Trump responded, “No,” and the White House later called the article “another fake news story.”
White House communications director Steven Cheung told the outlet, “This is another fake news story, just like the previous story by The Wall Street Journal.”
Behind the scenes, tension and frustration
The Epstein story has become a growing burden inside Trump’s administration. While trying to pivot public focus toward trade deals and campaigning, the president is said to be privately furious.
“This is a pretty substantial distraction,” a source told The Washington Post. “While many are trying to keep the unity, in many ways, the DOJ and the FBI are breaking at the seams. Many are wondering how sustainable this is going to be for all the parties involved — be it the FBI director or attorney general.”
Trump, for now, is unwilling to fire anyone involved, reportedly fearing it would escalate the issue.
Despite repeated denials and legal pushback, the Epstein case continues to shadow Trump. His comments in Scotland — specifically the word “privilege” — have reignited questions many hoped were already answered.
Yet as new names emerge and old files stay hidden, what remains is a sense of public distrust. And a scandal that simply won’t go away.