Elon Musk and Donald Trump have publicly severed ties and engaged in a war of words online. Musk posted a message alleging that Trump’s name appeared in “Epstein’s files,” claiming this to be the real reason the relevant documents have not yet been fully disclosed. Later in the evening of June 6th, Trump issued a response to Musk’s accusations.
That same day, Trump reposted a tweet on his “Truth Social” platform by American attorney David Schoen, which read:
“Just nine days before Epstein’s death, I was retained as his criminal defense attorney and became head of his defense team. In the months leading up to that, he had been consulting me for legal advice. I can state authoritatively, unequivocally, and definitively: he had no information that could be damaging to President Trump. I specifically asked him about that!”
It is worth noting that David Schoen previously served as Epstein’s defense lawyer and also represented Trump during his second impeachment trial in 2021.
Jeffrey Epstein was a financier with extensive connections among prominent figures in American political and business circles. He notoriously transformed his private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands into an “adult playground” for the elite, where numerous minors reportedly became victims of abuse.
In July 2019, Epstein was arrested on charges of conspiracy to traffic and sexually exploit underage girls. On August 10 of the same year, he was found dead in his New York jail cell. The medical examiner ruled it a suicide. At the time, Donald Trump was serving as President of the United States. He denied any involvement in Epstein’s alleged sex crimes, stating that, like many in Palm Beach, he had known Epstein but had “fallen out with him a long time ago.”
During the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly vowed that if re-elected, he would make public the client list associated with Epstein’s so-called “Lolita Island.” On February 27, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice finally released the first batch of documents related to the Epstein case. However, the contents were widely seen as underwhelming. Both netizens and members of Congress expressed disappointment, accusing the DOJ and FBI of withholding the full truth.
In his June 5th post, Musk did not provide details on how he came to know about Trump’s alleged connection to the Epstein case, nor did he cite any sources.
Previously, U.S. media analysis noted that the appearance of a name in court files does not necessarily indicate involvement in Epstein’s illicit activities—only that there was some form of association. Trump’s name has indeed appeared in such files, but given his past public interactions with Epstein, it has not been considered particularly controversial.
Responding to Musk’s accusations, White House Press Secretary Andrew Bates (speaking on June 5) remarked, “This is an unfortunate episode for Elon, who is clearly frustrated that the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ did not include policies tailored to his personal agenda. The President remains focused on advancing this historic legislation to make America great once again.”
update：
It was reported on June 7 local time that Elon Musk, the American entrepreneur and former head of the “Office of Government Efficiency,” recently posted on social media during a heated public dispute with President Donald Trump, implying a connection between Trump and the Epstein case. The post has since been deleted by Musk.