Vice President JD Vance’s latest defense of President Donald Trump got hit with a quick reality check on Tuesday evening.
During a Q&A session at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Georgia, Vance was asked about Trump’s claims that the files related to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – who was once a close friend – were a “Democrat hoax.”
“I have to defend the president on this,” Vance insisted. “Because when he said that it was a ‘hoax,’ what he was talking about was this Democratic idea that he’s connected to Epstein.”
Vance said Trump’s ties to Epstein were because “everybody in Palm Beach knew everybody” and not because they were friends.
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“The president has said he knew Jeffrey Epstein and he was a scumbag,” Vance said, claiming that the emails released by the Justice Department actually showed the two “hated” each other.
“When the president says, ‘This is a hoax,’ he’s not saying it’s a hoax that Epstein was a scumbag,” Vance said. “He’s saying this Democratic idea that somehow he was Epstein’s best friend, that is a hoax.”
But it’s not a Democratic idea, as Trump himself is on the record about his relationship with Epstein.
“I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy,” the future president told New York magazine in 2002. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
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Epstein was also on the record in 2017 when he said he was once “Trump’s closest friend for 10 years,” according to an interview with author Michael Wolff.
Epstein and Trump were repeatedly photographed together at events, and Trump used Epstein’s plane multiple times. Trump also reportedly sent Epstein a racy birthday card in 2003, an image of which was published by The Wall Street Journal last year. Trump has denied writing the card and sued the Journal, but the case was thrown out of court earlier this week.
Trump and Epstein ultimately had a falling out, reportedly over a real estate deal, although Trump has offered shifting explanations.
Given that background, critics on social media were quick to give Vance some reminders:
