There’s been an odd development in the latest release of the Jeffrey Epstein files by the government. According to The Daily Beast, the issue is a 2019 text exchange between Epstein and Trump’s longtime adviser, Steve Bannon. In the exchange, there is a photo of Trump giving a political speech in which a black box appears over Trump’s head.
However, based on the context, from the shape of his head and body to the suit he’s wearing, it’s very clear that the picture is of Trump.
Quite the contrast:
In one part of the Epstein files, DOJ published unredacted nude images of women and potentially minors.
In another part, officials redacted President Trump’s face from a news image that was shared in a text exchange.https://t.co/gmefqcxCmT pic.twitter.com/yFFACm4tWj
— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) February 2, 2026
In the file posted on the official DOJ website, it appears that the black box has now been removed.
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Per the Daily Beast, “The administration has long treated Trump’s appearance in the Epstein records as a political flashpoint. Despite campaign promises in 2024 from Trump allies to fully disclose the files, the White House later pulled back, stoking speculation that the materials might contain politically embarrassing details… That suspicion deepened in December, when the Justice Department briefly posted—then removed—a photograph of Epstein’s New York mansion showing an image of Trump with several young women tucked inside a drawer. Officials later said the image was taken down to protect victims, before reposting it.”
Trump is referenced numerous times in the files, although there is no smoking-gun proof that he committed any wrongdoing.
“The newly released materials contain frequent references to Trump. The New York Times identified more than 5,300 files with tens of thousands of mentions of Trump, his family, and Mar-a-Lago. None, however, shows direct communications between Trump and Epstein,” the Beast story said. Much of the what’s in the released files consists of emails, and Trump famously does not use email.
“Trump has denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein and has not been charged or accused by prosecutors in connection with the billionaire’s crimes,” the Beast reported. “The pair were friends in the 1990s and early 2000s, but Trump maintains that he cut ties with Epstein well before the convicted sex offender’s 2006 arrest.”
