Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News
Donald Trump's choice of words when answering whether he'd ever visited the private island owned by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has left people seriously confused.
Earlier today (28 July), the 79-year-old Republican was once again quizzed about the Epstein files while holding a press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the Trump Turnberry golf resort in Scotland.
It was during the press conference that Trump explained to reporters that he once turned down an invite to the island, which locals dubbed 'Pedophile Island', characterising the decision as 'one of my very good moments'.
The island in question refers to Little St James, the 75-acre private paradise in the US Virgin Islands, which featured Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking trial.
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Maxwell is currently behind bars serving a 20-year sentence for child sex trafficking offences after a jury found her guilty of luring teenage girls to Epstein.
She was additionally found guilty of sex trafficking minors, conspiracy to entice a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts and conspiracy to transport a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
Epstein’s island has previously been described as 'the perfect hideaway and haven for trafficking young women and underage girls for sexual servitude, child abuse and sexual assault'.
"Epstein and his associates could avoid detection of their illegal activity from Virgin Islands and federal law enforcement, and prevent these young women and underage girls from leaving freely and escaping the abuse," said a criminal complaint from the attorney general of the US Virgin Islands.
Several celebrities, royal family members and other notable figures have been guests on the island, but Trump maintains he was never amongst their company there.
"I never had the privilege of going to his island, and I did turn it down, but a lot of people in Palm Beach were invited to his island," Trump said.
"In one of my very good moments, I turned it down. I didn't want to go to his island."
People on social media, however, were left puzzled by one particular word choice Trump opted for - namely saying he didn't have the 'privilege' to go to Epstein's island, a site in which heinous child sex crimes routinely took place.
One X user hit out: "TRUMP SAYS HE'S NEVER HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF GOING TO EPSTEIN ISLAND."
"Trump just said he's never had the PRIVILEGE of going to Epstein's Island," pointed out a second while a third echoed: "Trump just said he 'never had the privilege of going to' Epstein's Island.
A fourth chimed in: "'Privilege' of going to Epstein’s island?"
Another declared: "'Privilege' I swear to God Trump has no understanding of the English language."
And a final X user questioned: "Why would he say it like that?"
Tyla has reached out to the White House for comment.
