It is widely known that President Donald Trump and disgraced billionaire Jeffrey Epstein were once friends, but recently resurfaced photos of the two provide further insight into their connection.

During his presidential campaign, Trump promised that if re-elected, he would release files related to convicted sex offender Epstein, who died by suicide while awaiting trial in federal prison. When Trump returned to the White House for his second term, he partially followed through on his promise. In February 2025, Attorney General Pamela Bondi released what was described as the 'first phase' of declassified Epstein files. However, the Department of Justice later stated that there was ‘no basis’ for releasing additional files, and the FBI claimed that there was no ‘client list’ or evidence suggesting that Epstein used such a list to blackmail influential figures.

This move sparked speculation that Trump may be ‘concealing’ information about the late financier. Recently, new photos from Trump’s 1993 wedding to Marla Maples at the Plaza Hotel in New York have surfaced, showing Epstein in attendance. Another photo from 1999 shows Trump and Epstein chatting together during a Victoria’s Secret fashion show in New York.

Dafydd Jones, the photographer who covered Trump’s wedding, told CNN that he must have recognized Epstein at the event, as he had previously photographed both Epstein and Trump together at the Harley Davidson Café in New York in October 1993.

“I wish I had taken more pictures of him with Trump,” Jones said in a CNN interview. “I was assigned to photograph the wedding, so I stood with the press and captured that moment. The image you see comes from the contact sheet—the negatives were lost.” The photos, released by CNN, reignited discussions and drew a swift response from Trump.

CNN reached out to Trump for a comment, but he dismissed them, accusing them of 'fake news' and saying, “You’ve got to be kidding me,” before ending the call abruptly.

Later, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung issued a statement, saying, “These are nothing more than out-of-context frames from innocent videos and pictures taken at widely attended events, twisted to imply something sinister.”

“The truth is, the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep. This is just another example of the fake news stories fabricated by Democrats and the liberal media.”

Trump and Epstein were also photographed together on multiple occasions from the 1980s through the mid-2000s.