A decrypted email once again placed Trump and Epstein's names side by side. Eight years ago, a photo taken at Mar-a-Lago became the "shadow archive" for the world: Trump, his then-girlfriend Melania, financier Jeffrey Epstein, and "madam" Ghislaine Maxwell.
Now, this moment of the four together has been revived by an old email.
The Leaked Email: Censored Names and Restored Truth
This email came from 2011. In a letter to Maxwell, Epstein mentioned: "The dog that hadn't been named was Trump... Virginia spent several hours with him at my house."
This content was originally "censored" in Democratic-published documents, marked as "Unnamed Victim." However, according to an unredacted version obtained by The Daily Mail, the person was Virginia Giuffre — one of the earliest and most symbolic victims in the Epstein case.
Giuffre was recruited by Maxwell from Trump's Mar-a-Lago in 2000 when she was just 16 years old.
She later accused British royal member Prince Andrew of sexual assault, but always emphasized: "Trump never did anything inappropriate to me; he was very kind to me."
Now, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also cited this testimony, condemning the email leak as a "political conspiracy" manufactured by Democrats. "The so-called 'victim' is Virginia Giuffre, who has repeatedly clarified that Trump did nothing inappropriate." "Democrats selectively leaked information to smear the president."
Politics and Death: A Name That Can No Longer Defend Itself
Giuffre died by suicide earlier this year at the age of 39. Her death brought the long-standing Epstein shadow back into political use.
She could no longer speak, and her silence was quoted by both sides. For the White House, her statement was evidence of "Trump's innocence"; for the Democrats, her presence symbolized "moral corruption within Trump's circle." The truth was trapped in her dead body, while power fought over her last words.
This series of emails came from the investigation files of the Democratic House Oversight Committee.
They reveal:
- From 2003 to 2011, Epstein frequently mentioned Trump in emails;
- He discussed with journalist Michael Wolff how to "shape the narrative of Trump's relationship with himself";
- Maxwell spoke to him in a "strategic response" tone in her emails.
In a 2015 letter, Wolff warned Epstein: "Tonight on CNN's Republican debate, they might ask Trump about you." "You should let him fall into the trap. If he says he never took your plane, that would be useful for you — you can choose to 'destroy him' or 'save him.'"
This chilling correspondence reveals Epstein's logic of power: building connections through secrets and creating debts through silence.
"The Exiled Friend": Trump's Version
Trump has always insisted that he had already cut ties with Epstein. The White House spokesperson reiterated: "Trump kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago in 2007 because of his inappropriate behavior toward female employees."
This claim was also made by Trump himself after Maxwell's arrest in 2019. He said in an interview: "He was a creep, I didn't like him."
However, the leaked emails show that Epstein apparently didn't think it was a "complete break." In a January 2019 letter to Wolff, he wrote: "Trump told me to resign, but I was never a real member. He certainly knew about the girls and told Ghislaine not to bring them anymore."
This statement cannot be verified, but it once again exposes the ambiguous "acquaintance" relationship between Trump and Epstein — neither close friends nor strangers; mutually exploiting each other, yet suspicious of each other.
The Network of the Dead: When Secrets Become Political Currency
The background of this email storm is the latest push by Congress to "Epstein Files." Both Republicans and Democrats have demanded that the Department of Justice declassify more documents related to the Epstein case.
But their motivations differ: Republicans want to prove it was a "political cover-up" by the FBI during Obama's time; Democrats want to uncover potential links between Trump's camp and the sex crime network.
In this "moral trial," the real issue is no longer sexual exploitation, but the right to narrate. Epstein, Maxwell, Giuffre — they have become "referable symbols" in the game of power: for the right, they are "media-manipulated fake news"; for the left, they are "witnesses to power and sexual corruption."
Reality is diluted into stories, and stories become weapons.
Trump's Visual Politics: From Photos to Documents
Looking back at the photo from 2000 — Trump standing next to Epstein, with golden chandeliers and pool reflections in the background. That was the true image of the American upper class at the turn of the millennium: a mixture of money, desire, success, and secrets.
Today, this photo has become a totem in the political context: every time it is replayed by the media, it reminds people — in Trump's political universe, truth can be re-packaged as images.
He knows how to turn scandals into loyalty tests: "The harder the enemies attack me, the more I am proven innocent." This logic is almost sanctified among his supporters. Therefore, this email leak not only did not weaken him, but also caused his camp to unite again. He successfully turned the stain into a narrative.
Maxwell's Silence and the Congressional Deal
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence. The House has issued a subpoena hoping she will appear at the hearing, and her legal team is seeking — a deal for immunity in exchange for testimony.
If this negotiation succeeds, it may open the sealed "Epstein File" again. But regardless of whether she speaks or remains silent, the political consequences will be huge. If she stays silent, the White House can claim "no evidence"; if she speaks, any word she says may be rewritten into different versions of "truth" by both parties.
In this war of narratives, every dead person and prisoner becomes a living stake.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7571897468313403967/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author and welcomes you to express your attitude using the 【Up/Down】 buttons below.