I remember first hearing these anecdotes during The Apprentice years, long before he entered politics. But with what we know now about Trump, it’s pretty safe to assume they were completely made up. What we know for sure for sure is that there is exactly zero evidence to support those claims. So urban legends at best.

My guess is, because Republican leaders and propaganda outlets were constantly accusing Democrats of witch hunts and politically motivated criminal investigations, Dems releasing Epstein’s client list would have been seen as more of the same. Trump’s base would have absolutely called it fake news. So Dems waited until Republicans were in control and then said, “Okay, now you can release it.” With predictable results.