“I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,” Trump said. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”

As his supporters erupt over the Justice Department’s failure to release much-hyped records in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation, President Donald Trump’s strategy has been to downplay the issue.

Right-wing influencers now have to choose between authenticity to their brand, and their loyalty to Trump.

Here is a timeline of Epstein and Trump’s relationship. Though it is not known when Epstein and Trump first met, Trump told New York magazine in 2002 that he had known Epstein for 15 years, which would date back to the late 1980s. “Terrific guy,” Trump said in the 2002 interview.

Police seized phone message pads from Epstein's Palm Beach mansion in 2005. Two messages were from Donald Trump.

President Donald Trump has plenty of recent accomplishments he wants the public to talk about, but there's an issue dividing his political base that won't go away.

Swirling conspiracy theories around the convicted paedophile see the president’s supporters turn on his officials

Onetime concerns over fanning Epstein-related conspiracy theories have faded as Democratic candidates, members of Congress and party accounts attack Trump and seek to divide MAGA.

President Trump is facing a growing backlash from his MAGA base over his administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case.