Trump on Epstein: I never went to the island

President Trump said Monday that he had previously declined an invitation to visit Jeffrey Epstein’s private island, while pointing fingers at others he believes the media should be scrutinizing instead, as he continues to deflect lingering questions about his past ties to Epstein.

“I never went to the island, and [former president] Bill Clinton went there supposedly 28 times. I never went to the island, but [former Treasury Secretary] Larry Summers, I hear, went there—he was the head of Harvard. And many other people that are very big people, nobody ever talks about them,” Trump said during a visit to Scotland, where he met with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

He added, “I never had the privilege of going to his island, and I did turn him down. But a lot of people in Palm Beach were invited to his island. In one of my very good moments, I turned it down. I didn’t want to go to his island.”

Asked about why he had removed Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, the president brushed it off, saying he didn’t want to “waste your time” recounting the full story.

“For years, I wouldn’t talk to Jeffrey Epstein … because he did something that was inappropriate. He hired help,” Trump said.

“He stole people that worked for me; I said don’t ever do that again. He did it again, and I threw him out of the place,” he continued.

Trump also dismissed reports suggesting he had a closer relationship with Epstein than he’s previously acknowledged, responding to a Wall Street Journal article that claimed he once sent Epstein a birthday letter featuring a message inside the outline of a naked woman.