“My closest friend for 10 years”: Epstein discusses Trump friendship in newly released tapes

The notorious sex trafficker and financier Jeffrey Epstein once called Donald Trump his “closest friend.”

That reveal came on Saturday night when journalist Michael Wolff shared tapes of an interview he held with the late criminal via The Daily Beast.

In the clips shared by Wolff, Epstein notes the way that Trump is able to charm people by telling them what they want to hear. He also accused the former president of being a “horrible human being” who had affairs with his “best friends’ wives.”

“He is charming; he is able to convince people. It’s very much like [Bill] Clinton. Both Bill and Donald have the ability to go over to a fat, ugly woman, say, ‘You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,’” he said. “So, he tells everybody what they want to hear. And that is charming.”

Epstein said that his “closest friend for 10 years” had a great mind for real estate, but was otherwise a complete dullard. 

“With respect to real estate deals, he’s brilliant,” Epstein said. “Anything else but that, he knows nothing.”

The convicted sex offender who died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 had a low opinion of his former associate, feeling that he had “no scruples” and could not be trusted.

“He does nasty things to his best friends, his best friends’ wives,” Epstein shared. “Anyone who he first tries to gain their trust, and then uses it to do bad things.”

It’s far from the first time that Trump’s been linked to Epstein. Former model Stacey Williams recently alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her after being brought to Trump Tower by Epstein in 1993. Williams told the Guardian that it was “very clear then that [Epstein] and Donald [Trump] were really, really good friends and spent a lot of time together.”

A spokesperson for Trump denied the assault. Trump’s team has called the tapes of Epstein “‘false smears’ and ‘election interference.’”