JD Vance Says Epstein Files Reveal an ‘Incestuous Nature to America’s Elites,’ but Claims Trump Is ‘Outside of the Social Circle’

Following the Justice Department’s latest release of files tied to investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, Vice President JD Vance is condemning what he calls the “incestuous nature” of “America’s elites” — while arguing that President Donald Trump was not closely connected to Epstein’s inner circle.

The Department of Justice released more than 3 million files related to the criminal investigations into the late financier and convicted *** offender on Friday, Jan. 30. The materials include emails involving prominent figures such as Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Steve Tisch. The latest batch arrives after earlier, previously unsealed records included references to Trump, Bill Clinton and other high-profile names.

In an interview with the Daily Mail published Tuesday, Feb. 3, Vance, 41, said Trump — despite having the “wealth and power” common among people appearing in the documents — was not part of the same social network.

“President Trump is very much outside of the social circle,” Vance told the Daily Mail. “He knows a lot of these people. He certainly has similar wealth and power. But he never really was friendly with Epstein in a way that a lot of these other people were.”

Vance added that the documents highlight what he views as a deeply intertwined elite culture.

“I think that it just shows there’s an incestuous nature to America’s elites, and it’s pretty gross. And, a lot of people, I think, it reflects very poorly on them,” he said, citing Gates, Clinton and “a lot of others.”

Trump and Epstein were widely reported to have moved in similar circles for years. Trump has previously said the relationship ended around 2004. In recent months, files connected to Epstein have referenced Trump and some of his associates, including Steve Bannon.

In December, the House Oversight Committee released a set of photos from Epstein’s estate. Some images included Trump — who has denied wrongdoing connected to his past association with Epstein — pictured with a group of women whose faces were blurred. Another image showed Trump’s face depicted in cartoon form on packaging for “Trump Condoms” offered for sale.

Separately, after the release of those images, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson criticized the rollout of the material, saying in a statement that “once again, House Democrats are selectively releasing cherry-picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative.”

“The Democrat hoax against President Trump has been repeatedly debunked and the Trump Administration has done more for Epstein’s victims than Democrats ever have by repeatedly calling for transparency, releasing thousands of pages of documents, and calling for further investigations into Epstein’s Democrat friends,” the spokesperson said. “It’s time for the media to stop regurgitating Democrat talking points and start asking Democrats why they wanted to hang around Epstein after he was convicted.”

More recently, Trump addressed his ties to Epstein while criticizing 2026 Grammy Awards host Trevor Noah over a joke that linked him to Epstein’s private island, where *** trafficking crimes allegedly occurred.

Hours after the Feb. 1 ceremony ended, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he has “never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close, and until tonight’s false and defamatory statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media.”

In the same post, Trump also threatened to sue the Grammys host.

In the Daily Mail interview, Vance also reacted to the release of documents that included additional references linking Andrew Mountbatten–Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, to Epstein in the Jan. 30 batch of files. The release included photographs described as showing the former royal kneeling on all fours over an unidentified woman on the ground.

Vance said he would be willing to consider a congressional summons for the former royal, but emphasized that the decision would rest with Republican lawmakers.

“I’ll let them determine whether they should talk to Prince Andrew,” Vance told the outlet. “I’d certainly be open to it. But it’s their call, not mine.”