WASHINGTON [US]: Journalist and author Michael Wolff has sensationally claimed that disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein was “afraid” of Donald Trump, despite their past friendship. Wolff, renowned for his explosive bestseller Fire and Fury, revealed that Epstein was one of his uncredited sources for the book, and that he had hours of private conversations with Epstein before his 2019 death.
“When I was writing Fire and Fury, I became an outlet for Epstein to express his incredulity about someone whose sins he knew so well, and then this person actually being elected president,” Wolff recalled during a podcast episode. “Epstein was utterly preoccupied with Trump, and I think, frankly, afraid of him.”
A Friendship Turned Sour?
Trump and Epstein’s friendship reportedly began in the 1980s. Wolff suggests they later clashed over money, women, and social dominance. “I think Epstein saw Trump as essentially Bush League,” he said.
“Epstein knew him, really, I think, better than most. I mean, this was a true BFF situation: two playboys very much styling themselves as playboys in that (Hugh) Hefner sense, who palled around for the better part of 15 years.”
Their relationship reportedly soured in 2004 after Trump outbid Epstein on a lavish Palm Beach property. “He was really, really, really p****d,” Wolff recalled Epstein saying.
That rift deepened significantly when Trump won the presidency in 2016. “When Epstein and I were talking about this, Trump was now the President of the United States, and I think frightening,” Wolff said. “Because the most inappropriate person to be the President of the United States was probably Donald Trump.”
Wolff further elaborated on Epstein’s alleged fear: “I was always startled how afraid he seemed about Trump. And I’ve spoken to several other people who knew Epstein well. They make the same point. And I know that Epstein would emphasize how he believed Trump could do anything. He had no scruples.”
Epstein’s Death in Prison
Wolff claimed he encouraged Epstein to go public with his insights, but Epstein was hesitant. “I urged Epstein to go public with everything I’ve told you here, but Epstein’s attitude was that I was unaware of how the real world operated,” Wolff claimed. “So, in the end, Epstein died in prison, and we’ll probably never hear that story.”
Jeffrey Epstein died on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City. His death was officially ruled a suicide by hanging, a conclusion that has been met with scepticism by some, including a segment of Trump’s own supporters. The Justice Department recently released a memo reaffirming the suicide ruling and stated there was no evidence of a “client list” to incriminate others.