Three decades after Donald Trump married Marla Maples in a glitzy 1993 New York wedding at the iconic Plaza Hotel, the photos are back in the spotlight. However, not for the designer dress or celebrity guest list. Newly surfaced photos allegedly reveal that none other than Jeffrey Epstein, the late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, was among the attendees. And yes, the internet is doing a double-take.
The revelation, brought to light by CNN’s KFILE investigative team, shows Epstein casually hanging out at the reception, rubbing shoulders with Trump and a ballroom full of New York City’s elite. The black-and-white snapshot is grainy but unmistakable, and it’s sparking a firestorm of controversy all over again, per NewsWeek.
Trump’s response was “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he told CNN over the phone before reportedly slamming them as “fake news” and abruptly hanging up. Denial, deflection, and media bashing — it’s the Trump trifecta we’ve seen play out a thousand times before.
Donald Trump’s New York Party Photos With Jeffrey Epstein Raise Eyebrows
But the presence of Epstein at this very New York celebration adds another layer to the already tangled narrative between the former president and the now-deceased financier. Despite Trump’s repeated attempts to distance himself from Epstein, even calling him a “creep” earlier this year, the photos (and now video clips) keep surfacing. One image shows them laughing it up at the 1999 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, another places them together at the Harley-Davidson Café opening that same year, with two of Trump’s children right there beside them.
And it doesn’t stop with photos. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump even sent Epstein a racy birthday note in 2003 complete with a drawing of a naked woman and the line: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.” Trump, of course, dismissed the note as a fake and promptly announced he was suing the Journal and its parent company. Because why not?
Adding more fuel to the fire, CNN’s exposé comes just as the Department of Justice declined to release a list of Epstein’s alleged clients, triggering renewed interest and suspicion from both sides of the political aisle. While Trump’s team insists these are all “frame grabs” from “widely attended events,” critics aren’t buying it. The conservative group Republicans Against Trump even weighed in, saying ominously, “This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Trump Can’t Dispute The Cold, Hard Photo Proof
Meanwhile, the judge overseeing the DOJ’s request to unseal grand jury records in the Ghislaine Maxwell case is promising a swift ruling. So it seems that this story isn’t going away anytime soon.
Whether Epstein’s presence at Trump’s New York wedding was a casual social coincidence or something deeper, it’s clear that the president’s past continues to haunt his present, especially when it shows up in black and white.
For now, Donald Trump may want to brace himself. The political winds are shifting, and with every resurfaced photo, another crack forms in the carefully controlled narrative. One thing’s for sure, whether in New York City or Washington D.C., the past never stays buried.