JD Vance says Epstein files expose America's elites, claims Trump was 'outside of the social circle'
WASHINGTON, DC: Vice President JD Vance publicly addressed the recently released Department of Justice files on convicted offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, January 30. He described the documents as revealing the “incestuous nature” of America’s elites and criticized the broader fallout from their contents.
Vance defended President Donald Trump from being part of Epstein’s close social circle despite a past acquaintance. He also weighed in on other figures connected to the files and suggested further congressional action may be warranted.
JD Vance on Epstein files and Trump’s position
In a Daily Mail interview on Tuesday, February 3, Vance said the documents showed what he described as an “incestuous nature to America’s elites,” which he called “pretty gross” and said reflected poorly on many people whose names appeared.
Vance specifically addressed Trump’s connection to Epstein. While acknowledging Trump’s wealth and power, which was similar to many individuals appearing in the files, he insisted that the president was “very much outside of the social circle” of those closely tied to Epstein’s network.
According to Vance, the president knew many prominent figures but “never really was friendly with Epstein in a way that a lot of these other people were.” While he and Epstein were reportedly close for years, Trump has said that their friendship ended around 2004.
The DOJ's document release included emails from prominent figures such as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Steve Tisch, and followed prior unsealed files that mentioned Trump, Bill Clinton, and other high‑profile names.
Vance also pushed for Andrew to testify before US lawmakers regarding his friendship with Epstein. Vance said he would support "bipartisan efforts" to summon the former prince to give evidence to Congress, noting recent comments by the British prime minister.
Vance said, "I saw Keir Starmer said something about this, I'm certainly open to it."
Trump denies Epstein ties, fires back at critics
In a batch of photos from Epstein's estate released by the House Oversight Committee in December, Trump appeared alongside a group of women whose faces were blurred. Another image showed the president’s face depicted in cartoon form on a set of “Trump C*****s” for sale."
In response to these releases, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson issued a statement accusing Democrats of selectively releasing cherry‑picked photos and narratives to create a false impression.
She described the “Democrat hoax against President Trump” as repeatedly debunked, and said the administration had worked to release documents and call for transparency.
As part of the continuing discussion around the Epstein documents, Trump responded on his Truth Social to questions about his own ties to Epstein. After a joke at the 2026 Grammy Awards referencing Trump’s connection to Epstein’s private island, he publicly denied ever visiting the island or being accused.
He further called the statement false and defamatory, and in the same post, threatened legal action against comedian host Trevor Noah.
