President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance flatly denied reports that they planned to hold a strategy meeting about the government’s next steps in quelling the outrage over Jeffrey Epstein.
During a press conference in the Oval Office Wednesday, Trump was asked whether Vance had dinner plans with a number of top administration officials to strategize about the Epstein case.
“I don’t know, I could ask you that,” Trump replied, motioning for Vance to jump in.
“I saw it reported today, and it’s completely fake news,” Vance said. “We’re not meeting to talk about the Epstein situation, and I think the reporter who reported it needs to get better sources.”
“The whole thing is a hoax,” Trump continued. “It’s put out by the Democrats because we’ve had the most successful six months in the history of our country, and that’s just a way of trying to divert attention to something that’s total bullshit.”
Three sources familiar with the meeting had told CNN that White House officials would meet Wednesday night to discuss a unified response to the ongoing turmoil over the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files. The meeting would include Vance and the slate of officials that sources said were behind the White House’s ongoing strategy: Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
The White House was reportedly “floored” that information about the meeting leaked to the public, according to CNN host Kasie Hunt. “But now, after significant news coverage of this scheduled meeting, sources say it may be moved, rescheduled, or canceled entirely,” Hunt said Wednesday night, after Trump and Vance rejected the reports altogether.
The public is clamoring for more transparency around Epstein, especially after the Department of Justice clawed back the release of the convicted sex offender’s so-called “client list,” claiming that—contrary to prior statements—such a thing didn’t exist.
Earlier this week, the government conducted a lengthy interview with Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime confidante of Epstein’s—over the requests of his accusers—who may angle for a presidential pardon in exchange for exonerating Trump in the face of the ever-emerging ties to his former neighbor and friend.