Video shows Trump, Epstein partying with cheerleaders
Footage shows Donald Trump and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein partying with cheerleaders | WATCH
President Trump’s attempts to distance himself from the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein have been dealt a blow after images emerged of them partying with cheerleaders at the Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
Mr Trump has sought to play down his links with Epstein, 66, after the hedge fund manager was charged this month with sex trafficking. He is accused of abusing a “vast network” of underage girls in Florida and New York in the early 2000s.
The president said that he was “not a fan” of Epstein and that he did not know him well. He said: “I had a falling out with him … I don’t think I’ve spoken to him for 15 years.”
Footage released on Wednesday shows that their relationship reaches back to 1992, as the pair mingled with cheerleaders from American football teams at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago golf club. The footage, shot for a talk show for NBC, shows Mr Trump with Epstein.
At one point Mr Trump, his hand on Epstein’s shoulder, points to a dancer, appearing to say, “She’s hot”, and tells Epstein something that prompts him to laugh.
Mr Trump was said to have organised another party at the club where the guests were only himself, Epstein and 28 young women.
Epstein was said to have been banned from Mar-a-Lago in 2002 after allegedly assaulting an underage girl. Despite evidence that he abused dozens of underage girls in the early 2000s, he avoided federal charges through a plea deal. He was arrested in New York after the deal came under scrutiny and indicted on federal trafficking charges, which he denies. A decision on bail will be announced today.
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