Bill Clinton reveals ‘real reason’ he claims Donald Trump and Epstein’s friendship ended

Donald Trump once described Jeffrey Epstein as a “terrific guy,” a comment that has continued to draw attention over the years because of the controversy surrounding Epstein.

For a time in the 1990s and early 2000s, Trump and Epstein appeared to move in the same social circles. Photos from that period show the two men together at several events, including a well-known picture taken at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, in 1997. Their public appearances and connections in wealthy social circles led many people to believe that they knew each other fairly well.

In a 2002 interview, Trump even spoke positively about Epstein, calling him a “terrific guy.” Some reports suggested that the two men had known each other for as long as 15 years. During that period, it was also reported that Trump once hosted a party where Epstein was the only male guest among a group of young women.

However, their relationship reportedly changed years before Epstein’s arrest in 2019. At the time Epstein was taken into custody, Trump said he had not spoken to him in about 15 years. That statement raised questions about what had caused the two men to stop interacting.

For a long time, the reason for their apparent falling out remained unclear. But during testimony before the House Oversight Committee last week, former President Bill Clinton offered what he said was the explanation he had heard.

According to Clinton, Trump once told him that his friendship with Epstein ended because of a disagreement involving a real estate deal. Clinton said that Trump occasionally joined them to play a few holes of golf and that during one conversation Trump mentioned the issue.

Clinton recalled Trump saying something along the lines of, “You know, we had some great times together over the years, but we fell out all because of a real estate deal.” Clinton added that Trump also expressed some regret that their relationship had ended the way it did.

Clinton said Trump did not go into any further details about what he meant by their “great times” together or about the real estate dispute that reportedly caused the split.

Both Clinton and Trump have repeatedly said that they never saw any signs of sex trafficking connected to Epstein before his first arrest in 2008. That year, Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida state court to charges related to procuring a minor for prostitution and soliciting prostitution. He served 13 months in a county jail as part of a controversial plea agreement.

During the same House Oversight Committee deposition, Clinton was also asked about Epstein’s death in jail in 2019. The questioner asked him directly whether he believed Epstein had taken his own life.

After a brief exchange between Clinton’s adviser Cheryl Mills and the committee member asking the question, Clinton responded that he did not know. He said he was not sure what the official medical findings concluded and suggested that Epstein may have taken his life after finally being caught, but ultimately admitted he could not say for certain what really happened.