President Trump was asked a question Thursday that many in Washington knew was coming. Did he know that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had visited Jeffrey Epstein’s private island?
The short answer from President Trump was simple. “No I wasn’t aware of it,” he told reporters during a White House event. “I actually haven’t spoken to him about it, but from what I hear, he was there with his wife and children.”
That exchange followed Lutnick’s admission earlier this week before the Senate Appropriations Committee that he had lunch on Little St. James, Epstein’s private island, in 2012. According to NBC News, Lutnick testified, “I did have lunch with him, as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation.” He emphasized that his wife, four children, nannies, and another couple with their children were present. “And we had lunch on the island, that is true, for an hour,” he said. “And we left with all of my children, with my nannies and my wife, all together. We were on family vacation.”
The optics are not great. Epstein’s name is radioactive, and for good reason. The disgraced financier was charged in 2019 with sex trafficking offenses involving minors. Any association, even years earlier, draws scrutiny.
President Trump made a point to distance himself personally. “I guess in some cases, some people were — I wasn’t. I was never there,” he said. “Somebody will someday say that I was never there.”
Reporter: Were you aware that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick visited Epstein Island?
President Trump: “No, I wasn’t aware of it… I actually haven’t spoken to him about it. From what I hear he was there with his wife and children… I wasn’t. I was never there.” pic.twitter.com/y0zu1Fnodi
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) February 12, 2026
That last line sounded like a preemptive strike against the rumor mill.
The Washington Examiner reported that Trump said he had not discussed the island visit with Lutnick. Meanwhile, newly released Justice Department documents show that although Lutnick previously said he severed ties with Epstein in 2005, he maintained sporadic contact with him through 2018. That revelation has fueled bipartisan calls for Lutnick to resign.
Lutnick described three meetings with Epstein in his testimony, including the island visit. He framed the trip as incidental, part of a broader family vacation, not some secretive getaway.
🇺🇸 Lutnick: I did have lunch with (Epstein) as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation. My wife was with me as were my 4 children and nannies.
And we had lunch on the island. That is true. For an hour. And we left with all of my children. pic.twitter.com/xeaSr9z9bM
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) February 10, 2026
Still, this is Washington. Context rarely matters once a headline is written.
The broader issue for the administration is political damage control. President Trump has made transparency around the Epstein matter part of his broader message about accountability. Having a Cabinet level official admit to visiting Little St. James, even under family circumstances, complicates that narrative.
For now, Trump is signaling that he was unaware and personally uninvolved. Whether that is enough to quiet the controversy remains to be seen. In the post Epstein era, even a one hour lunch can become a political firestorm.
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