Trump latest: US president makes World Cup visa announcement at White House – after surprise Epstein U-turn
If you’re just joining us, here’s a recap on the latest surrounding US President Donald Trump and calls to release the Epstein files.
What are the Epstein files?
Thousands of documents, including witness statements and other pieces of evidence, collected by US investigators about Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and convicted paedophile.
Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial, had many powerful friends, including Trump, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, former US president Bill Clinton and former UK ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson. They have all denied wrongdoing.
Why do people want the files to be released?
To find out more about Epstein’s crimes – and to see if the documents shed any light on whether anyone else was involved or knew about what he was up to.
Some have already been made public, including, most recently, a trove of private emails released last week.
What is Trump’s position?
Before his re-election last year, Trump had said he would have “no problem” releasing more files.
However, more recently, the US president appeared reluctant to do so, dismissing the row as the “Epstein Hoax” and accusing the Democrats of exploiting the issue to distract from the recent US government shutdown.
But over the weekend, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide.”
The president has always denied any wrongdoing and said he fell out with Epstein long before his crimes came to light.
What will the files tell us?
Trump and his supporters say they will prove his innocence.
But critics believe the documents may reveal damaging information about figures close to Epstein.
What happens next?
The US House of Representatives is expected to vote tomorrow on a bill that would require the US justice department to release all the remaining files.
If the measure passes, the Senate will then vote, before the president signs off his final approval and the files are released.
