Khaberni - Biographer Michael Wolff said that the 15-year friendship between US President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein ended over a real estate deal, not because of the behavior of the late financier.
According to "Daily Beast", the official position of the White House is that the conflict between the two men occurred in the early 2000s, after Trump expelled Epstein from his club "Mar-a-Lago" in Palm Beach, Florida, due to his "mysterious behavior".
But Wolff confirmed to podcast co-host "Inside Trump’s Head", Joanna Coles, that the breakup began when Trump, behind Epstein's back, made a successful offer to buy a property in Palm Beach worth tens of millions of dollars. He explained: "These men… what really drives them crazy is real estate.. their obsession with owning it. If they are deceived in a real estate deal, it would end any relationship among the wealthy."
Epstein and Trump were close friends for years, starting from the late 1980s, and were prominent figures in the social circles in Manhattan and Palm Beach, forming a close relationship due to their shared obsession with fashion models, who, according to Wolff, symbolized not only sex but also social status, as he clarified: “I never knew someone so obsessed with the idea… a model of the ideal "playboy" man. I think they were both heavily influenced by [Playboy magazine founder] Hugh Hefner."
Michael Wolff revealed that the relationship between the two men was so close in 1993 and 1994 that they "shared a relationship with one woman," during the same period that Trump began his relationship with Marla Maples, whom he married in 1993.
Wolff further explained to program co-host Joanna Coles: "She was a Norwegian fashion model, and regardless of the nature of their arrangement... they were manipulating someone, and she was not only their shared lover, but also a sort of joint joke between them."
It appears that Epstein implicitly confirmed this in an email from 2015, revealed last month in a broad leak of documents related to Epstein. In the email sent to "New York Times" financial journalist Landon Thomas Jr., Epstein attached a link to Norwegian cosmetics heiress Celina Midelfart, and followed up by saying: "She was my 20-year-old girlfriend in 1993, and two years later I gave her to Donald."
By the late 1990s, Trump had divorced his second wife Marla Maples, and had recently met fashion model Melania Knauss, whom he later married in 2005.
At that time, according to Wolff, Trump's properties in Atlantic City were about to go bankrupt, and his financial status was fragile, although his name was still topping the buildings in Manhattan and displaying an image of success.
Wolff added that Epstein was probably richer at that time than Trump, who was the subject of ridicule in the tabloids, and the financier thought he was the stronger party in their relationship.
Wolff explained that Epstein was the one providing the private plane that transported them between Manhattan and Palm Beach, and mocked Trump's stay at Mar-a-Lago, which the president originally bought as a private home before turning it into a members-only club: "He would say it's not a home. He is forced to host guests because he doesn't have the money."
The friendship between the two men remained strong in the early 2000s, when lengthy articles about Epstein were published in "Vanity Fair" and "New York Magazine."
Trump told a "New York" magazine reporter in 2002: "I've known Jeff for 15 years. Great guy. It's really fun spending time with him. And it's said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are younger. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life."
Two years later, in 2004, Epstein believed he was the most likely to buy a property in Palm Beach for $36 million, and took Trump to inspect the property to give him advice on moving the pool, while Trump then made an offer behind Epstein's back for $40 million, according to Wolff, who pointed out that "Epstein was very angry about it."
When asked earlier in 2024 about why his relationship with Epstein ended, Trump said: "Because he did something inappropriate. He hired workers (a kind of hint or "innuendo" to refer to Epstein’s illegal or unethical behavior with young girls at the club). I told him: Don't do it again. He did it again, so I kicked him out of the place and considered him an undesirable person." According to Wolff, Epstein remained obsessed with Trump even after the breakup
In a statement to "Daily Beast", White House Communications Director Steven Cheung responded, describing Wolff as a "liar and a fraud," saying that Wolff "makes up stories from his sick and deviant imagination" and accused him of suffering from what he called “Trump Disorder Syndrome” that "corrupted his little brain".
Trump has not been officially accused of any wrongdoing, despite his long friendship with Epstein, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to a case involving bringing a minor for prostitution.
It is worth noting that Jeffrey Epstein, was a wealthy and prominent American financier who turned into a convict known for sex trafficking and assaulting underage girls. He established a wide network of connections with influential figures in politics, business, and society. He died in his prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on serious federal charges, leaving behind a series of scandals and ongoing investigations, and sparking a wave of conspiracy theories about his death, which was classified as "suicide."
