Former US President Donald Trump used his Christmas message to launch a blistering verbal assault on his political opponents, primarily targeting Democrats. He branded them as "sleazebags" and accused them of maintaining close associations with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before abandoning him.
Trump's Festive Fury on Truth Social
On Friday, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to share a post that mixed seasonal greetings with fierce accusations. "Merry Christmas to all, including the many Sleazebags who loved Jeffrey Epstein, gave him bundles of money, went to his Island, attended his parties, and thought he was the greatest guy on earth," he wrote.
He further claimed these individuals only chose to "'drop him like a dog' when things got too HOT." Trump asserted that these critics then falsely denied any connection to Epstein, labelled him disgusting, and proceeded to blame Trump himself. The former president positioned himself differently, stating, he was "actually the only one who did drop Epstein, and long before it became fashionable to do so."
Allegations of a 'Witch Hunt' and Media Critique
Trump predicted that names emerging from what he called the "ongoing Radical Left Witch Hunt" would largely belong to Democrats. He drew a parallel to the Russia investigation, which he has consistently labelled a "hoax."
His criticism extended to the media, specifically singling out The New York Times. He referenced the newspaper's past election coverage apology and loss of subscribers, accusing "the same losers" of causing reputational damage to innocent people with their current reporting on the Epstein files. He concluded his post with a pointed remark: "Enjoy what may be your last Merry Christmas!"
Context: The Epstein Files and Ongoing Scrutiny
This outburst comes amid renewed global scrutiny of Epstein's network following the release of legal documents. The US Justice Department has recently disclosed nearly 30,000 additional pages of material related to the long-running investigation, marking the largest disclosure so far.
These new files contain multiple references to Trump, including an email from a prosecutor noting flights he took on Epstein’s private jet during the 1990s. However, the DOJ itself stated that some documents contained "untrue and sensationalist claims" against Trump, which were submitted to the FBI just before the 2020 election.
The latest release, which also includes video and surveillance footage from August 2019—the month Epstein died in jail—follows an earlier batch that was briefly removed over victim identity concerns. Trump and Epstein were known to be friends for several years, but Trump has stated their friendship ended around 2004, years before Epstein's first arrest. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
