On Monday, President Donald Trump told reporters that his name may have been planted in the Jeffrey Epstein files by former Attorney General Merrick Garland or former FBI director James Comey.

Trump was asked in Turnberry, Scotland, "You had said you had not been briefed that your name was in the Epstein files, doesn't the AG have to tell you?"

The president responded, in part, "Well, I haven't been overly interested in it. It's a hoax that's been built up by those, way beyond proportion. Those files were run by the worst scum on earth. They were run by Comey, they were run by Garland, they were run by Biden. Those files were run for four years by those people."

"The whole thing is a hoax. They ran the files. I was running against somebody that ran the files. If they had something they would have released."

Trump also referenced discredited and uncorroborated claims in the Steele dossier, a collection of unverified intelligence reports compiled in 2016 by former British spy Christopher Steele. Commissioned as opposition research during the presidential election, the dossier contains allegations about Trump's ties to Russia, including claims of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin, as well as salacious and compromising personal material.

He continued, "Now, they can easily put something in the files that's a phony. As an example, Christopher Steele, wrote a book, we call the 'fake news dossier.' The whole thing was a fake. The whole thing was a fake. They can put things in the file that was a fake. Those files were run by sick, sick people."

Trump was also asked again Monday about the possibility of pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell, reiterating that he is "allowed" to do so. Maxwell, a close associate of Epstein, the late financier and convicted child sex offender, was convicted of child sex trafficking in 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

"Well, I'm allowed to give her a pardon, but nobody's approached me with it, nobody's asked me about it," Trump told reporters when asked about the possibility. "It's in the news about that—that aspect of it, but right now it would be inappropriate to talk about it," he said.

The remark echoed the president's Friday comments, when he told reporters: "It's something I haven't thought about... I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I have not thought about."

Why It Matters

In recent weeks, Trump has struggled to shift the conversation from the Epstein, a wealthy financier and convicted sex offender who authorities said died by suicide behind bars in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The president has faced pressure from his supporters to release the government's files about Epstein, which they believe will reveal a cover-up in the case to protect Epstein's wealthy and powerful friends.

Donald Trump Reveals Why He Kicked Jeffrey Epstein Out of Mar-a-Lago

Trump was also asked about reports that he kicked Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

The president said, in part, "For years I wouldn't talk to Jeffrey Epstein. He did something that was inappropriate. He hired help, and I said don't ever do that again. He stole people that worked for me. And he did it again, and I threw him out of the place, persona non grata, and that was it. I'm glad I did if you want to know the truth."

What Did Jeffrey Epstein Do?

Epstein was an American financier who was convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from minors and later arrested in 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy involving girls as young as 14 years old. He was accused of running a vast human‑trafficking operation, recruiting underage girls for sex with himself and associates, and targeting vulnerable victims across his residences, including in New York, Florida, New Mexico and the Caribbean.

What to Know About Trump's Name in the Epstein Files

Trump's name appears multiple times in the publicly known "phase one" release of Epstein‑related documents—nine mentions in flight logs and Epstein's infamous contact book.

Trump's personal relationship with Epstein has also come under fresh scrutiny. The Wall Street Journal reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi told Trump that his name was in the files during a briefing in May. Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and the inclusion of someone's name in files from the investigation does not imply otherwise.

Where Was Epstein Island?

Epstein's private island—most notoriously called "Epstein Island" or "Little Saint James"—lies off the southeast coast of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Covering roughly 70–78 acres, the property featured multiple villas, swimming pools, tennis courts, a helipad, and a peculiar temple structure. Epstein acquired it in 1998, and it became a central site in allegations of sex trafficking and abuse.

Did Donald Trump Visit Jeffrey Epstein's Island?

There is no reliable evidence that Trump ever visited Epstein's private island. Although Trump flew on Epstein's private jet—the so‑called "Lolita Express"—at least seven times during the 1990s between Palm Beach and New York, flight logs and investigations show no trips tied to the island. Trump has denied ever visiting the island in interviews.

Update: 7/28/25, 11:23 a.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.

Update: 7/28/25, 11:31 a.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.

Update: 7/28/25, 11:43 a.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.