Donald Trump, the President of the United States, stated that he would not exercise his presidential veto power if a bill urging the release of documents related to the late Jeffrey Epstein, a perpetrator of child exploitation, passes Congress.
On the 17th (local time), President Trump was asked by reporters during a meeting with the “2026 FIFA World Cup White House Task Force” whether he would sign the bill for the release of the ‘Epstein files’ if it comes up. He responded, “Absolutely.”
President Trump emphasized, “Epstein and I have no connection,” and noted, “All his friends were Democrats,” denying any involvement in the Epstein case.
Previously, he had dismissed the Epstein case as a “Democratic hoax,” but unusually, he urged Republican House members to vote in favor of releasing the Epstein documents via social media the day before.
As speculation arose that the bill urging the release of the ‘Epstein files’ would pass in the House on the 18th due to defections among Republicans, some interpreted President Trump’s stance as a shift. There is even speculation that up to 100 Republican votes could be in favor.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported the previous day that in Epstein’s email records released by the House Oversight Committee of the U.S. Federal Congress, President Trump’s name appeared in more than half of the approximately 2,300 cases in total.
However, most of these were known to involve criticizing President Trump with friends, passing related information to journalists, or responding to acquaintances’ questions about President Trump.