Donald Trump's links to Jeffrey Epstein and why private island circle is in 'blind panic'

As Donald Trump vows to expose Jeffrey Epstein's shady 'client list', the Mirror takes a look at the presidential hopeful's widely discussed links with the disgraced financier

Donald Trump made a big threat about Jeffrey Epstein before declaring a 'magnificent victory' in the US election race.

The world is tensely waiting to see who the next US President will be, with Republicans already celebrating as the convicted felon has won key swing states.

Many will be wondering if Trump, 78, will stick to his word and divulge information that could prove damaging to Jeffrey Epstein's shadowy circle. The high-profile men who stayed on his notorious Caribbean island are said to have been left in 'a blind panic' after Donald Trump vowed to release their names if he were to win the election.

But what is Trump's connection with the notorious sex offender, and how has he obtained information that supposedly could send shockwaves rippling through influential circles? Here, the Mirror takes a look...

Trump's connection with Epstein has been the topic of widespread discussion in recent years. The pair were regularly photographed together at glittering social events from the 1980s, before Epstein's shocking crimes came to light. A source who observed the pair together back in the early '90s told The Washington Post: "They were tight. They were each other's wingmen."

In 2002, during a profile piece interview with New York magazine, Trump described Epstein as a "terrific guy" who "likes to have fun". In a remark that has since likely come back to haunt him, Trump added: "It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do. And many of them are on the younger side."

In the years since, Trump has sought to distance himself from Epstein, and there have been reports of a fallout after the pair allegedly fought it out over a coveted Palm Beach property. Speaking from the Oval Office the day after Epstein was taken into custody, Trump insisted: "I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him. I had a falling out with him. I haven't spoken to him in 15 years. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you."

Meanwhile, during a 2016 interview with Fox News, Trump Organisation attorney Alan Garten declared that The Apprentice star had 'no relationship' with Epstein, stating: "They were not friends and they did not socialise together."

In August 2019, Epstein died in his jail cell, where he'd been awaiting his trial for federal sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. The former Wall Street giant has taken many secrets with him to his grave, and in the years since there has been widespread speculation as to who exactly frequented his infamous Caribbean island, Little Saint James.

Although flight logs of Epstein's 'Lolita Express' private jet made some visitors to the island clear, a number arrived unnoticed. Trump has denied ever visiting Epstein's island, where women and girls were allegedly trafficked and abused.

Now Trump has pledged he'll release Epstein's 'client list' should he get back in office. Imploring Trump to reveal the list of names, one of Epstein's survivors told the Mirror: “People are very nervous and highly so. They'll be in a blind panic now."

The now 37-year-old continued: "Trump's pledge to expose these names should cause a lot of sleepless nights. Some of these men are incredibly powerful and have gone to great lengths to keep their associations with Jeffrey under wraps. If Trump gets back in, their days will be numbered. He should expose them. I know who I will be voting for."

During an interview, podcaster Lex Fridman accused Trump of "hesitating" to reveal who had visited Epstein's island previously, asserting: "There's a moment where you had some hesitation about Epstein releasing some of the documents on Epstein. Why the hesitation?"

Trump responded: "I don't think I had... I mean, I'm not involved. I never went to his island, fortunately. But a lot of people did." The host then asked: "Why do you think so many smart, powerful people allowed him to get so close?" Trump replied: "He was a good salesman, a hailing, hearty guy, and he had some nice assets that he'd throw around like islands. But a lot of big people went to that island. But fortunately, I was not one of them."

Fridman continued: "It's just very strange for a lot of people that the list of clients that went to the island has not been made public." Trump agreed: "Yeah, it's very interesting isn't it? It probably will be, by the way. I'd certainly take a look at it." He added: "But yeah, I'd be inclined to do the Epstein."

Recently released audio tapes have now shed some light on their reportedly complicated friendship. These audiotapes, which were recorded in 2017, have been released by journalists Michael Wolff and James Truman, for their explosive Fire and Fury podcast series.

In excerpts of the interview, published in The Daily Beast, the disgraced financier can be heard to declare "I was Donald's closest friend for 10 years". Praising the former POTUS as 'charming' and 'always fun' in the newly released tapes, Epstein also alleged that the thrice-married Trump was a serial cheat to "f*** the wives of his best friends'.

Wolff has stated that Epstein had shown him photographs of Trump taken with 'topless young women' at Epstein's Palm Beach home back in the 90s, long before he entered the White House. In one episode of his podcast, Wolff claimed: "They were with Trump at Epstein's Palm Beach house sitting around the pool with these young girls, and the young girls are topless.

"And in some of the pictures, they're sitting in his lap. I mean, and, and then there's one I especially remember where there's a stain, a telltale stain, and on the front of Trump's pants, and the girls are pointing at him and laughing."

According to Wolff, these photos were kept in Epstein's safe, which the FBI seized in the summer of 2019, following a raid at his Manhattan townhouse. By that time, Trump was already in the Oval Office, and their once allegedly close bond had changed considerably. It was during this period that Wolff says Epstein was "utterly preoccupied with Trump, and I think, frankly, afraid of him".

As scared as he allegedly was, however, Epstein also appeared to believe he held some power over Trump. Speaking with The New York Post back in January, Epstein's brother Mark Epstein recalled an alleged conversation he'd had with his brother ahead of the presidential race between Trump and Hillary Clinton. He claimed: "Here's a direct quote: 'If I said what I know about both candidates, they'd have to cancel the election'. That's what Jeffrey told me in 2016."

In response to the claims made by Wolff, Trump's press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: "Michael Wolff is a disgraced writer who routinely fabricates lies in order to sell fiction books because he clearly has no morals or ethics. He waited until days before the election to make outlandish false smears all in an effort to engage in blatant election interference on behalf of Kamala Harris. He's a failed journalist that is resorting to lying for attention."

This close friendship narrative is backed up by accounts made by Stacey Williams, Epstein's ex-girlfriend. Williams, who dated Epstein back in the '90s, recently told The Guardian that the pair were 'really, really good friends'.

Demonstrating this alleged closeness, professional model Williams showed the publication an undated postcard Trump later sent to her, containing the message: "Your home away from home. Love, Donald". The postcard depicts a view overlooking Palm Beach, Florida - the site of Trump's opulent Mar-a-Lago resort.

In another recent interview with CNN, former Sports Illustrated star Williams alleged that, back in 1993, Trump had groped her in full view of Epstein. The alleged incident occurred at Trump Tower in New York, and Williams claimed Trump and Epstein had continued "looking at each other and smiling" as she simply 'froze'.

Describing the alleged ordeal as "one of the strangest moments" of her life, Williams said: "The second he was in front of me, he pulled me into him, and his hands were just on me and didn't come off. And then the hands started moving, and they were on the, you know, on the side of my breasts, on my hips, back down to my butt, back up, sort of then, you know – they were just on me the whole time. And I froze. I couldn't understand what was going on."

In response to these claims, Trump spokesperson Leavitt dismissed Williams' account as a 'fake story', stating: "These accusations, announced on a Harris Campaign call two weeks before the election, are false."