Donald Trump is facing a widening crisis amid a report claiming that his name appears in US justice department files about Jeffrey Epstein as Congress subpoenas testimony from Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
The White House sought to downplay the relationship between the US president and the disgraced financier while Trump’s spokesperson denied an account in the Wall Street Journal that the president was told in May by attorney general Pam Bondi that he is named in the Epstein files. The report says the president was told that many other high profile figures were also named and states that being mentioned in the records isn’t a sign of wrongdoing.
“The fact is that the president kicked him out of his club for being a creep,” spokesperson Steven Cheung said. “This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media.”
A federal judge, meanwhile, denied a justice department request to unseal grand jury transcripts related to Epstein.
Here’s more on these and the day’s other key Trump administration stories:
Trump’s name reported to feature in Epstein files
Attorney general Pam Bondi has pushed back against a report claiming that Donald Trump’s name appears “multiple times” in US justice department files about Jeffrey Epstein, saying that “nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution”.
“As part of our routine briefing, we made the president aware of the findings,” Bondi and her deputy said in a statement.
White House spokesperson Steven Cheung said in an emailed statement: “The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep. This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media.”
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Judge rejects Trump bid to unseal Epstein jury transcripts
A US federal judge has denied a justice department request to unseal grand jury transcripts related to a criminal investigation of Epstein, the late sex offender and financier, in south Florida from the mid-2000s.
The move on Wednesday is the first ruling in the Trump administration’s series of attempts to release more information after the justice department announced it would not be releasing any additional files related to the Epstein case, despite earlier promises from Trump and Bondi.
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EU and US near trade deal
The European Union and the US are close to a trade deal that would place 15% tariffs on most imports from the bloc, it has emerged.
The tariff rate would apply to most goods, with some exceptions for products including aircraft and medical devices, according to diplomats with knowledge of the talks.
Trump signs three executive orders targeting ‘woke’ AI models
Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a trio of executive orders that he vowed would turn the United States into an “AI export powerhouse”, including a directive targeting what the White House described as “woke” artificial intelligence models.
A second order Trump signed on Wednesday calls for deregulating AI development, increasing the building of datacentres and removing environmental protections that could hamper their construction.
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Columbia to pay Trump administration more than $220m
Columbia University announced a much-anticipated deal with the Trump administration to pay a fine worth more than $220m, in an agreement meant to bring a resolution to the threat of massive funding cuts to the school, but certain to rankle critics given the extraordinary concessions made by the Ivy League university.
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Trump administration investigating Harvard’s visa program
The state department is opening an investigation into Harvard University’s eligibility as a sponsor for the exchange visitor program, the latest salvo in the Trump administration’s pressure campaign on the university over alleged failures to combat campus antisemitism and inadequate support of Israel.
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Exclusive: Advisers abandon effort to find Hegseth new chief of staff
Donald Trump’s advisers have abandoned an effort to find a new chief of staff to the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, allowing senior adviser Ricky Buria to continue performing the duties in an acting role despite once viewing him as a liability, according to people familiar with the matter.
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What else happened today:
Catching up? Here’s what happened on 22 July 2025.
