U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media, as he departs the White House for Las Vegas, Nevada, in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 16, 2026. REUTERS/Jessica Koscielniak
President Donald Trump appeared to casually dismiss survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell on Thursday during a brief gathering with reporters, referring to them as "victims, or whatever."
Trump took questions from reporters outside the White House when he was asked whether he believes there should be a public hearing for more Epstein survivors.
"Well, I'm ok with it. I think we've had a lot of, a couple of hearings. I'm ok with it. But I understand that the women didn't want to go under oath. That's what I heard. That the women, the victims, or whatever, refuse to go under oath. Which is a little surprising," the president said.
Trump's relationship with Epstein has been a source of fierce scrutiny, though he has vehemently and repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
In 2002, Trump called Epstein a "terrific guy" who likes "beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side." The two were photographed together at parties throughout the 1990s.
After Epstein's 2019 arrest, Trump said he was "not a fan" and claimed they had a falling out years earlier. Trump later sued the Wall Street Journal for $10 billion over its reporting on a "bawdy" letter he allegedly sent Epstein. A federal judge dismissed the case but gave Trump two weeks to refile.
First lady Melania Trump recently issued a statement denying any connection to Epstein after reports circulated linking her to him.
Reporter: Do you believe there should be a public hearing for more of these Epstein survivors?
Trump: I'm okay with that. But I understand the women didn't want to go under oath. That's what I heard, that the victims or whatever, they refused to go under oath pic.twitter.com/WX83RdhVsp
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 16, 2026