New revelations about Donald Trump's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein have emerged from an unexpected source - the late financier's own brother. Mark Epstein appeared on CNN's "OutFront" with Erin Burnett on Thursday, presenting claims that directly challenge previous statements made by the former president about his interactions with the convicted sex offender.
The Contradiction in Timeline
During the interview, Burnett played a 2019 clip where Trump insisted he hadn't spoken to Epstein in "probably 15 years or more" following Epstein's arrest for sex trafficking. The former president had also claimed he was "not a big fan" of Epstein during that statement. If accurate, this timeline would place their last conversation around 2004.
However, Mark Epstein presented a dramatically different account. He asserted that the two men actually spoke in 2016, specifically after Trump's surprise victory over Hillary Clinton in the presidential election. According to Mark Epstein, his brother Jeffrey described receiving a celebratory phone call from Trump shortly after the election results became clear.
The Alleged 2016 Conversation
Mark Epstein elaborated on the nature of this purported 2016 call, describing it as a moment of shared surprise at the election outcome. "After the election, I usually speak to Jeffrey regularly, and in one of the calls... Jeffrey told me that... it was after the election that Trump called him and it was sort of like, 'Can you believe this?'" Mark Epstein told Burnett.
He continued: "Because nobody believed Trump was going to win. Trump was sort of surprised himself that he won. So Jeffrey said [Trump] called him like, you know, 'Could you believe this?' type of a phone call." This description suggests Trump may have reached out to Epstein to share his astonishment at the victory - or possibly to boast about his unexpected win.
Relationship Dynamics Revealed
Perhaps even more significantly, Mark Epstein claimed it was his brother who ultimately ended the friendship with Trump. He told Burnett that Jeffrey Epstein cut ties with Trump because he considered the future president "a crook." This assertion paints a very different picture of the relationship's dissolution than previously understood.
The exact timeline of when Trump and Epstein's friendship soured has been subject to conflicting reports over the years. Some accounts date the falling-out to 2007 or 2008, while others suggest different periods. The new claim of a 2016 conversation, if verified, would represent the most recent known interaction between the two men.
These revelations come at a time when public interest in the Epstein case remains high, particularly since Trump authorized the release of previously sealed court documents related to Epstein's associates. While these files have yet to be fully examined by the public, they may provide additional context about the relationships Epstein maintained with various high-profile individuals, including Trump.
