Nearly a decade ago, Jeffrey Epstein suggested that concerns were circulating about Donald Trump’s mental sharpness after the then-president allegedly failed to recognize longtime acquaintances during a social gathering.
Those remarks appeared in an email Epstein sent to journalist and Trump biographer Michael Wolff on Dec. 29, 2017. The message was made public after the Department of Justice released millions of documents tied to investigations into the late financier and convicted sex offender.
Writing to the author of Landslide during Trump’s first term in office, Epstein claimed that people who had dined with Trump the night before were alarmed by what they observed. He alleged that Trump was heavily made up and did not recognize familiar faces, prompting worries about possible dementia.
Epstein was not the only prominent figure to speculate about Trump’s cognitive health. Around the same period, similar claims surfaced from individuals who had worked closely with him.
According to Ticking Clock, a book by former 60 Minutes producer Ira Rosen, ex–White House chief strategist Steve Bannon privately believed Trump was showing signs of “early-stage dementia” before Bannon left his post in August 2017. Rosen wrote that Bannon described Trump as having little attention span, avoiding reading, and frequently repeating himself—sometimes recounting the same story just minutes apart. Bannon later denied making those remarks.
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Rosen also alleged that Bannon attempted to rally support to have Trump removed from office over these concerns, a claim that has likewise been disputed.
Concerns were later echoed by a member of Trump’s own family, who pointed to what he described as a pattern of cognitive decline among relatives.
In 2024, before Trump returned to office for a second term, Fred C. Trump III said his uncle’s behavior reminded him of other family members who had experienced dementia, including Trump’s late father and sister. At the time, Trump’s campaign rejected the comments outright, dismissing them as false.
Fred Trump III said he believed his uncle’s changes mirrored the decline he witnessed in his grandfather, adding that dementia had, in his view, been part of the family’s medical history.
Questions about Trump’s past relationship with Epstein have also resurfaced as more documents have been released. Trump has acknowledged knowing Epstein socially in the 1990s and early 2000s but has said he later severed ties and was unaware of Epstein’s criminal activity. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing connected to that relationship.
In a 2002 interview with New York magazine, Trump spoke positively about Epstein, calling him a “terrific guy” and describing him as sociable and fond of women. Epstein died in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving minors.
Trump’s name has appeared in Epstein-related materials made public in recent months. Among the items released by the House Oversight Committee were photographs from Epstein’s estate that included Trump standing with a group of women whose faces were obscured. Another image depicted Trump in cartoon form on novelty items labeled “Trump Condoms.”
After those images were released, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson criticized the disclosure, accusing House Democrats of selectively releasing materials to push what she described as a misleading narrative. She said the administration had supported transparency around Epstein’s case and called for further investigation, while arguing that political opponents were attempting to weaponize the issue.
Jackson also urged media outlets to question why some Democrats maintained associations with Epstein after his conviction, rather than, in her words, repeating partisan claims.
