In his testimony, Bill Clinton said Donald Trump expressed regret over his fall out with Jeffrey Epstein — an account that contradicts Trump’s claim that he cut ties with the “creepy” sexual predator after he “stole” girls from Mar-a-Lago.
During a lengthy deposition before the House Oversight Committee, former President Bill Clinton spent several hours answering questions about his past interactions with Jeffrey Epstein and other high-profile figures.
Lawmakers from both parties later described the 79-year-old as cooperative and willing to speak at length, though they sharply disagreed on the political implications of his testimony.
According to the BBC, Republicans argued that Clinton’s deposition effectively clears the president, while Democrats said it raises new questions that warrant further scrutiny. Central to that divide was Clinton’s account of a private conversation he says he once had with Trump about Epstein.
Speaking under oath, Clinton shared what he said Trump privately told him about the rift – a version that differs from Trump’s public claim that the split occurred because he considered Epstein a “creep.”
‘Terrific guy’
That account is particularly notable given how closely the two men once appeared to move in the same circles. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the future president and Epstein were frequently seen at the same parties, charity events and social gatherings in both New York and Florida. Photographs from that time, including a widely circulated image taken at Mar-a-Lago in 1997, show them socializing comfortably, underscoring just how familiar their association once seemed.
In a 2002 interview with New York Magazine, Trump referred to Epstein, who he claimed to have known “15 years,” as a “terrific guy.”
“He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it – Jeffrey enjoys his social life,” Trump told the outlet.
And then in 2007 – the year before Epstein’s 2008 conviction in Florida –Mar-a-Lago’s registry showed Epstein’s account as “closed,” PBS reported.
‘Not a fan’
By the time Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges, Trump was publicly distancing himself. Speaking to reporters that year, he said he was “not a fan of his, that I can tell you. I was not a fan of his,” PBS reports.
The POTUS added that he had not spoken to Epstein in 15 years, placing the end of their contact around 2004.
Over the years, Trump and those close to him have offered explanations for the falling out that centered largely on personal conduct rather than business disputes.
‘He was a creep’
On July 23, 2025, White House communications director Steven Cheung claimed that Trump had removed Epstein from Mar-a-Lago for “being a creep,” reinforcing the idea that the split was rooted in character concerns.
A few days later, while speaking to reporters at his golf property in Turnberry, Scotland, Trump provided additional detail, claiming the rift began after Epstein allegedly “stole” young women who worked at the Mar-a-Lago spa in Palm Beach.
In November 2025, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized the “creep” claim, saying: “Jeffrey Epstein was a member at Mar-a-Lago until Trump kicked him out, because Jeffrey Epstein was a pedophile and he was a creep.”
Clinton explained fall out
Clinton’s testimony, however, paints a very different picture of how the relationship ended. During his videotaped deposition, he described a golf tournament held in the early 2000s for Major League Baseball executive Joe Torre’s Safe at Home Foundation, which supports efforts to combat domestic violence.
Trump had provided a golf course in New York for the charity event, that was attended by Clinton, Epstein and Trump. It was during that gathering, according to the former president, that Trump brought up Epstein in conversation.
Recalling the exchange, Clinton said Trump told him, “You know, we had some great times together over the years, but we fell out all because of a real estate deal.”
According to Clinton, Trump added of the rift, “‘I’m sorry it happened,’ and he left.”
At that point, one of the officials asked the 42nd president: “And as far as you recall, President Trump characterized the nature of the ending of their friendship as being solely due to the real estate bidding?”
“That’s what he said,” Clinton replied, contradicting Trump’s previous statements that he personally made the decision to remove Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club.
But Clinton’s testimony does align with previous reporting from The Washington Post, which described how “two very large Palm Beach egos” clashed during a 2004 bidding war over a mansion in Palm Beach, Florida.
According to the New York Times, “there is little public record of the two men interacting” after the real estate battle that was won by Trump.
Instead of framing the break as a matter of personal disgust or misconduct, Clinton says Trump described it as the result of a real estate dispute – a detail that now adds another layer to the complex and closely examined history between the two men.
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