President Donald Trump reacted on Tuesday to new reporting from CNN featuring newly-surfaced photos of the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein attending Trump’s 1993 wedding to Marla Maples.
Asked to respond to the report, Trump told CNN in a phone call: “You’ve got to be kidding me.” The president also repeatedly called the outlet “fake news” before eventually hanging up, CNN’s report said.
The Context
CNN’s story adds another wrinkle to the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to grapple with the fallout from a Department of Justice memo earlier this month saying that it would not release more information about the investigation into Epstein’s 2019 suicide and that it does not have an “incriminating” list of Epstein’s clients.
Trump has repeatedly distanced himself from Epstein, whom he called a “creep” this month while criticizing news organizations for their renewed focus on the late sex offender—interest that was triggered by the memo from Trump’s Department of Justice. The president has also alternated between saying that the Epstein documents do not exist and that they’re part of a Democratic-led “hoax.”
President Donald Trump meets with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Washington. President Donald Trump meets with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Washington. Alex Brandon/AP
What To Know
In one black-and-white photo obtained by CNN’s KFILE investigative unit, Epstein is seen attending the reception for Trump and Maples’ wedding at the Plaza Hotel in New York City more than three decades ago. Newsweek has not independently verified the photograph.
Another photo, taken by the visual artist Dafydd Jones, shows Trump standing with Epstein at the Harley Davidson Cafe opening in 1993. Two of Trump’s children are with him in the photograph.
“I must have recognized him going in [to the event],” Jones told CNN, referring to the photo of Epstein at Trump’s wedding to Maples. The photos of Epstein at Trump’s wedding and at the Harley Davidson Cafe opening were taken more than a decade before the first allegations of sex trafficking against Epstein.
CNN also surfaced a 1999 video of Trump and Epstein “laughing and chatting” with one another at the 1999 Victoria’s Secret fashion show, as well as photos showing Trump and Epstein attending a charity event at Mar-a-Lago along with Epstein’s associate and girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Prince Andrew.
CNN’s reporting comes days after the Wall Street Journal revealed in an explosive story that Trump sent Epstein a note for the financier’s 50th birthday in 2003, featuring an outline of a naked woman surrounding lines of typewritten text. The note, which Trump called “fake,” included Trump’s signature below the woman’s waist.
“Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” the letter said, according to the report.
After the Journal‘s report was published, Trump announced that he was suing the publication, along with its owner, conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch. The president also announced that he had asked Bondi to produce “any and all” grand jury documents relevant to the Epstein investigation, pending court approval.
What People Are Saying
White House communications director Steven Cheung told CNN in a statement: “These are nothing more than out-of-context frame grabs of innocuous videos and pictures of widely attended events to disgustingly infer something nefarious. The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep. This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media.”
The group Republicans Against Trump reacted to CNN’s report on X, saying: “This is just the tip of the iceberg. Much more damning material is likely to come out soon. This is why Trump is so rattled.”
What Happens Next
The judge overseeing the DOJ’s request to unseal grand-jury records in the criminal case against Epstein’s associate and longtime former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, asked the government for additional information on Tuesday, adding that he would rule “expeditiously” in the matter.
Update 7/22/25, 9:09 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and context.
