Photos had dominated the agenda: Trump breaks silence on Epstein archive
Speaking on the new photos included in the Jeffrey Epstein file, US President Donald Trump said, “Almost hundreds of people have photos taken with him. So it doesn't really matter. I don't know anything about him.”
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US President Donald Trump answered questions from members of the press following a signing ceremony held at the White House. The seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela was also on the agenda. When asked, “Are you considering seizing more oil assets from Venezuela?”, Trump replied, “It wouldn't be very smart to tell you that.”
Arguing that they have made significant progress in the fight against drugs, Trump said that drugs being smuggled into the country by sea have been largely blocked. Trump stated, “We have stopped 96 percent of the drugs entering the country by sea. No one can figure out who the remaining 4 percent are. Honestly, I wouldn't want to be in that 4 percent.”
Stating that every boat belonging to the cartels targeted by the US means saving thousands of people who could lose their lives due to drugs, Trump said that the process on the maritime line is largely complete. “We can say we're done with the sea route. Now we are focusing on the land route. The land route is much easier and this process has also begun. We will not allow these to ruin our youth, our families. Forget the youth, it affects everyone. Haven't you ever seen a family torn apart because of fentanyl or cocaine?” he said.
Claiming that there are at least three cocaine production facilities operating in Colombia, Trump stated that they are uncomfortable with this situation. Trump said, “That's another country and we're not happy about it. But we are intervening. We stopped the entry of drugs by sea, you can't even find a boat at sea anymore. There aren't even fishing boats.”
MESSAGE ON LAND OPERATIONS
Responding to a question about possible land operations against drug cartels, Trump emphasized that the issue is not limited to Venezuela. Trump assessed, “This is not just a matter of land attacks on Venezuela. These are land operations against terrible people who bring drugs into our country and kill our people.”
Stating that the US is suffering losses on the scale of a war due to drugs, Trump said, “That is exactly what is happening right now. So it doesn't necessarily have to be Venezuela. Anyone who brings drugs into our country is a target.”
COMMENT ON EPSTEIN FILE
Trump also responded to a question regarding the inclusion of new photos of Jeffrey Epstein, who was found dead in prison in 2019 while being tried on sexual abuse charges, in the file. Stating that he had not seen the photos, Trump said, “Honestly, I haven't seen the photos, but everyone knew this guy.”
Expressing that Epstein was frequently seen in the Palm Beach area and had photos taken with many people, Trump said, “Almost hundreds of people have photos taken with him. So it doesn't really matter. I don't know anything about him.”
While it is known that Trump and Epstein were friends in the 1990s and early 2000s, Trump had previously claimed in statements that he ended their relationship before Epstein admitted to prostitution charges.