Trump vs Musk: The Epstein files saga, what we know so far and what next 

Jeffrey Epstein is back in the headlines after US President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk exchanged heated social media posts. Musk left the presidential cabinet after openly criticising the ‘Big Beautiful bill’ proposed by Trump.

In a series of tweets posted by Elon Musk late Thursday night, Musk went on to berate Trump and alleged that Trump was named in the Epstein files. Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019, and his wife, Ghislaine Maxwell, was subsequently arrested in 2021.

Who are Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell?

Jeffrey Epstein was born and raised in New York, USA. He started his career in the 1970s as a teacher at the Dalton School, a private college. After his dismissal from the college, he entered the finance sector as a senior partner in Bear Stearns, a Wall Street investment bank. Epstein stayed at Bear Stearns for 4 years.  

In 1988, he went on to create a financial management firm, J. Epstein & Company. The company managed assets worth more than $1 billion and was an overnight hit.  

With the success of his companies, Epstein began to diversify his portfolio by buying assets and land all over the world. His portfolio included: a mansion in Florida, a ranch in New Mexico, reputedly the largest private home in New York and the infamous Epstein island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. (name of the island: Little Saint James)

With his private wealth on the rise, he began expanding his social circle to various celebrities, artists and politicians. Even with his high-flying lifestyle, he kept his life private, reportedly shunning society events and dinners in restaurants.

In 1991, Epstein met his wife, Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite.

What are Jeffrey Epstein’s convictions?

The first allegation of sexual abuse came in 2005, when a 14-year-old girl’s parents in Florida said that Epstein had molested their daughter at his Palm Beach home.

Epstein was charged with procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute in 2008. He ended up pleading guilty and avoided federal charges. He was given an 18-month prison sentence, with a work-release order. He was later released on probation after 13 months.

After his release, he maintained his high-profile relationships with people like Prince Andrew (Queen Elizabeth II’s third child). In 2019, he was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in New York. Throughout his time in jail and his convictions, Epstein maintained his denial of any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

On the 10th of August 2019, Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his jail cell, having committed suicide.

Maxwell was arrested and charged by the US government in July 2021 with the crimes of enticement of minors and sex trafficking of underage girls, related to her association with Epstein. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her crimes.

What are the Epstein files?

The Epstein files refer to the evidence collected against Jeffrey Epstein and his associates in the many criminal cases brought against him.

Over 7 years, many documents of this investigation have been made public. The manifest of his private jet that contained the names of those who travelled to his island has also been released. Many of the documents remain confidential even today.

The 2025 Trump administration released some files to the public, calling it ‘The Epstein Files: Phase 1’. These documents contain a lot of previously known information, such as pilot logs from the prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s so-called “black book,” and a redacted list of masseuses.

The new information revealed in Phase 1 of these files was the 3-page evidence list that contained items that were taken from Epstein’s estate in the Virgin Islands and New York.

Attorney-General Pam Bondi said in May that the FBI was reviewing ‘tens of thousands’ of documents related to Epstein and Maxwell. She said the documents would be released after redactions were made to protect the victims in the case and any ongoing investigations related to the accused.

What did Elon Musk tweet about the Epstein files, and how are Trump and Epstein associated?

On the 6th of June, Elon Musk tweeted that President Trump was named in the Epstein files. There was no proof offered by Musk, but the post set off heavy speculation . Trump and Epstein had been friends for more than 2 decades, but there is no evidence of Trump being involved in any illegal activities with Epstein.

Both of them have been photographed multiple times at various parties and events through the late 90s and early 2000s. There are public records of Trump flying in Epstein’s private jet in the 1990s. In 2002, Trump gave a statement where he mentioned that he had known Epstein for 15 years. 

Eventually, in 2004, both had a falling out over real estate, and the relationship never recovered. Epstein was later banned from Trump’s estate, Mar-a-Lago.

What will be the fallout if what Musk tweeted is proved true?

Elon Musk’s posts came after his exit from Trump’s presidential cabinet due to policy disagreements. The White House Press Secretary dismissed Musk’s posts as ‘an unfortunate episode’.

The US Department of Justice has said that they will be releasing more documents about the investigations in the coming weeks, but there is no specific timeline provided. Despite the general public wanting the names in the documents to be declassified, there seems to be no hurry to do so as of yet.

On June 4th, the FBI’s Deputy Director Dan Bongino told Fox News that they would release more files about the investigation in the coming weeks.

The conspiracy theories and public’s wariness towards Trump’s involvement with Epstein will continue to rise unless the DOJ provides a direct response to Musk or additional documents are released.

Is impeachment on the cards for Trump?

If Musk’s allegations do prove to be true, the next steps depend on public opinion. The US Constitution gives Congress the power to impeach federal officials. An official can be impeached for treason, bribery, and “other high crimes and misdemeanours.”

The House of Representatives must bring articles (charges) of impeachment against an official. If the House adopts the articles by a simple majority vote, the official can be impeached.

The Senate will then hold an impeachment trial. In the case of a president, the U.S. Supreme Court chief justice presides. If found guilty, the official is removed from office. They may never be able to hold elected office again. If they are not found guilty, they may continue to serve in office.

If Trump is impeached, this will be the first time a US President has had an impeachment trial 3 times.

What will be Donald Trump’s next steps?

Throughout this feud, Trump has threatened to cut Musk’s government contracts, leading Tesla’s stock to fall. This week alone, Tesla has lost $152 billion in market cap after this public falling out.

Behind the scenes, Trump’s advisors are taking this feud seriously. During the social media spat, top aides at the White House were reported to be having closed-door meetings about how to handle the situation and to decide about whether or not to respond directly to Musk’s post in an official capacity.

The Vice President was with Trump when the tweets were posted by Musk, and they both had multiple meetings to discuss further action. JD Vance was advised to be diplomatic and non-combative in his answers if he was asked about Musk and his social media posts. 

Published on June 7, 2025