During a campaign rally in Ohio on Wednesday, former President Donald Trump stated he removed Jeffrey Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago property approximately two decades ago. The assertion came after a protester disrupted the event, which was held to support Republican candidates Jon Husted for U.S. Senate and Vivek Ramaswamy for governor at Ohio University.
The protester shouted claims about Trump's association with Epstein, drawing boos from the crowd before attendees began chanting "USA, USA." Once the audience quieted, Trump addressed the interruption.
"I threw Jeffrey Epstein out of my club like 20 years ago," Trump said, adding, "That was a great thing I did." He further elaborated, "I threw Epstein the hell out of Mar-a-Lago," and claimed that documents released by his administration during an investigation into the financier had fully exonerated him.
Trump then suggested that Epstein was associated with "all of the friends of the Democrats," characterizing them as "sick, weak people."
The former president has been actively involved in campaigning, urging supporters to vote as if he were on the ballot. This comes as recent polls indicate a challenging political landscape for Republicans heading into the final week of the campaign.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on October 26 showed Trump's approval rating at 32 percent, with 66 percent disapproval. On the generic congressional ballot, Democrats held a lead of 53 percent to 44 percent among likely voters. High living costs were cited by a majority of respondents as a significant concern.