Jeffrey Epstein 'was afraid of Donald Trump before his suicide', author claims

Prince Andrew's paedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein was "afraid" of Donald Trump before his suicide

Prince Andrew's paedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein was "afraid" of Donald Trump in his final years, an American author has claimed.

In the latest episode of his podcast Fire and Fury , Michael Wolff recounted how the financier allegedly grew wary of the former president after years of friendship and rivalry. "When I was writing Fire and Fury , I became an outlet for Epstein to express his incredulity about someone whose sins he knew so well, and then this person actually being elected president," Wolff told co-host James Truman.

"Epstein was utterly preoccupied with Trump, and I think, frankly, afraid of him." Epstein's relationship with Trump reportedly began in the late 1980s, with the two men bonding over money, women, and a shared "playboy" lifestyle in Palm Beach, Florida.

"Epstein knew him, really, I think, better than most. I mean, this was a true BFF situation: two playboys very much styling themselves as playboys in that Hefner sense, who palled around for the better part of 15 years," Wolff added.

The author said how, at one point, Epstein allegedly told him that he and the property mogul once "shared" a girlfriend. "They were both openly, possibly proudly, going out with the same girl at the same time," Wolff claimed. According to the writer, the men’s relationship began to fall apart in 2004 during a high-profile bidding war over the Maison de L'Amitié estate, next to Trump's Mar-a-Lago.

Epstein claimed he had asked Trump for advice on moving the swimming pool, but "Trump went around Epstein's back and bid $40 million for the house." Wolff described the falling-out as a "classic rich guy breakdown," with Epstein allegedly telling him he was "really, really, really p*****."

From that point, he believed Trump had begun targeting him. Wolff alleged that the Wall Street financier blamed his former pal for tipping off authorities in 2005, triggering the investigation that eventually led to his procuring a minor for sex conviction.

When asked if Trump knew Epstein "was hanging out with underage girls," Wolff responded, "Trump was certainly kind of in and out of Epstein's house and world, so I think knew something about that." Previously, it was reported Trump ended his friendship with Epstein, having him "thrown out of Mar-A-Lago after learning of his alleged sex-trafficking activities.

Wolff claims that Epstein confided in him his deep unease about Trump to him in 2017, who by then was president. "When Epstein and I were talking about this, Trump was now the president of the United States, and I think frightening," Wolff said. "I couldn't help but feeling that there was a level of personal fear there."

Others close to Epstein also reportedly confirmed his concerns. "I was always startled how afraid he seemed about Trump," Wolff added. "And I've spoken to several other people who knew Epstein well. They make the same point. And I know that Epstein would emphasise how he believed Trump was capable of doing anything. He had no scruples."

Wolff said he urged Epstein to go public with his allegations, but the financier allegedly dismissed the suggestion, insisting that the author was "unaware of how the real world operated." Epstein died by suicide in a federal jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial after being arrested on child sex-trafficking charges.

Wolff's allegations have been fiercely rejected by the Trump campaign, which accused him of being a "disgraced writer who routinely fabricates lies in order to sell fiction books because he clearly has no morals or ethics."

A spokesperson for Trump's presidential campaign said, "He waited until days before the election to make outlandish false smears, all in an effort to engage in blatant election interference on behalf of Kamala Harris. He's a failed journalist that is resorting to lying for attention."