Since the beginning of Trump’s second term, a controversial topic has resurfaced time and time again—the Epstein files.
The name stems from Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted child sex offender who led a human trafficking operation involving hundreds of underage girls. Epstein began his career at the age of 21 as a teacher at Dalton High School in Manhattan. According to NPR, some of his students reported that his closeness with female students was ‘creepy’. Years later, in court, Epstein invoked the Fifth Amendment, the right to remain silent, when asked if he had ever dated one of his students after he was dismissed from the school. Following his firing in 1976, and before allegations against him came to light, Epstein joined finance company Bear Stearns, where he worked for several years before starting his own investment firm, J. Epstein & Company. Through J. Epstein & Co., he cultivated a friend group of elites and socialites, many of whom are currently under scrutiny for participation in Epstein’s human trafficking ring.
The Epstein files themselves refer to any and all documents related to the case opened against him. The commonly referred to ‘Epstein list’ is a hypothesized list of names of those involved in the sex trafficking operation. Over a thousand girls were victimized by the ring, most of whom were underage, with some as young as 14. Ghislaine Maxwell, a former British socialite and Epstein’s longtime girlfriend and assistant, was found to have aided Epstein in luring and grooming girls. She is currently serving a 20 year sentence in prison.
Victims reported being lured in through supposed job interviews and model opportunities, among other ways. Many contacted the FBI for help, only to be dismissed and ignored. Additionally, many victims received threats to their careers and families as they struggled to speak out. Eventually, they created the ‘Survivor Sisters’, a podcast made by victims of Epstein that has given them a platform to speak up about their experiences and find community. It was also created to encourage other victims of sexual abuse to speak out. The Survivor Sisters have publicly advocated for a release of the files.
On November 19th, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed into effect the Epstein files Transparency Act, mandating the Department of Justice to release any relevant information in relation to the Epstein Case. President Trump initially referred to the Epstein files as a ‘Democratic Hoax’, according to the New York Times, and refused to release the files. However, after receiving disapproval and pressure from all sides, including many of his own supporters, he changed his mind. It is hypothesized that this ‘change’ in itself is suspicious. First, the president refuses to release documentation of pedophiles, then he abruptly changes his mind and adheres to the desires of the public? On Trump’s order, the DOJ also opened an investigation on the files, allowing him and his team to legally remove files they deem ‘an impediment to the investigation’.
Many have taken this action to suggest that the President himself is in the files and only approved of the release once his name was removed. This is not a stretch—President Trump and Jeffrey Epstein shared a close, very public relationship for years. Epstein referred to himself as ‘Trump’s closest friend’ for a decade, in an interview with Michael Wolff, author of Fire and Fury, a book criticizing Trump heavily. Apparently, the President tried to prevent the publication of the book, although he was unsuccessful.
The files were required to be released 30 days upon the signing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act. They did not make their deadline. Thousands of documents have been released, though the majority of their contents are redacted on the basis of protection of victim identities. One such file was ‘hacked’ by Generation Z, people born between 1997 to 2012, when it was pasted into Adobe Acrobat, revealing the plain text underneath the dark highlighting. Information about Darren K. Indyke, a lawyer who signed a check to Epstein. The money was given to an immigration lawyer involved in more than one arranged marriage among Epstein’s victims. In short, the document did not explicitly state a victim’s name. This suggests both that the Trump administration is being hasty in their redactions, and that they may be making up excuses to obscure information.
Quite a few photos have caught the attention of the public. Photos in the files included Epstein with various public figures, including Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, musician Michael Jackson, and former Prince of England Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his titles on October due to his alleged ties with Epstein. However, he most likely will not be charged with involvement in sex trafficking, due to his diplomatic immunity, which prevents the United States from charging anyone outside the country.
Another individual who likely will not be charged, although present in the files, is former President Bill Clinton. In the photos, Clinton appears in a hot tub with an obscured figure and in a pool with Maxwell.
This seems to be the main problem with the files. Epstein is well known because he was associated with extremely influential and wealthy people. The ones who participated in his trafficking ring likely did everything they could to clear their names and avoid conviction, or stand ‘above the law’. Even with documented proof, the public would be more surprised to see a figure like Bill Clinton in jail than out of it. The same goes for Donald Trump. The files are a clear testament as to how much elites can get away with.
Epstein himself similarly emphasizes this idea. He was arrested three times, the first of which was in 2006 for allegedly raping a 14 year old. He was only charged with soliciting prostitution, and the sentence was just 13 months. This sparked public disapproval and an FBI investigation, leading to Epstein being charged with two counts of soliciting prostitution, one with a minor. He was arrested again in 2008, and jailed under a ‘work release’ for 18 months. Epstein’s third and final arrest, on the basis of sex trafficking of minors, was still awaiting trial when he hung himself at New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center, a prison.
Over a month after the deadline to release the Epstein files, there are a reported 5.6 million Epstein-related documents still being reviewed. And if they are released, we can expect to see black ink all over them. Elites have made sure of that.
