Donald Trump Caught Using Jeffrey Epstein’s Former Jet for Political Events — But Campaign Insists It Was ‘Unaware’ of Infamous Plane’s Dark History
Donald Trump's use of a specific plane raised eyebrows after internet sleuths discovered it once belonged to Jeffrey Epstein.
Aug. 12 2024, Published 6:53 p.m. ET
Donald Trump has been jetting across the country on a plane formerly owned by disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
An eagle-eyed internet sleuth noticed the Trump campaign was using a different aircraft than his usual Boeing 757 – and upon further digging, it was revealed the aircraft’s serial number matched that of Epstein’s former private jet, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
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The Gulfstream G550 was spotted when the Republican nominee touched down in Aspen, Colorado, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for campaign events. MAGA fans who flocked to the airports in hopes of catching a glimpse of Trump reportedly expressed disappointment to local outlets over not seeing the ex-president’s usual Boeing 757, which he’s branded Trump Force One.
Though the much-smaller blue aircraft was marked with “Trump 2024” there was no disguising its serial number, which revealed its past owner as Epstein.
While the plane was branded with ‘Trump 2024’, it’s serial number matched Epstein’s former jet.
The late financer pleaded guilty to procuring underage girls at his Florida mansion in 2008 – years before he was hit with sex trafficking charges. While awaiting trial, Epstein hung himself in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019.
While Trump has attempted to distance himself from his past well-documented friendship with Epstein, the use of his private jet raised eyebrows and brought scrutiny to the Republican’s presidential campaign.
Epstein owned the plane until his death in 2019.
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Epstein owned the plane up until his death – and even used the private jet for his last flight, in which he traveled from Paris to New Jersey, where FBI agents awaited his arrival to arrest him on sex trafficking charges.
According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the craft’s serial number – 5173 – matched the serial number for Epstein’s plane. It’s reportedly common practice for private jet owners to keep the same “N-number” when registering a leased or recently purchased craft. Epstein used his initials, JE, along with the serial number to register his aircraft, according to Business Insider.
It’s also been reported it was not the same private jet owned by Epstein that was dubbed the “Lolita Express”. That plane has since been destroyed.
The Trump campaign insisted they were unaware of the private jet’s ownership history.
In a recent statement, a spokesperson for Trump insisted the campaign had not known the plane’s history.
The representative said: “The campaign had no awareness that the charter plane had been owned by Mr Epstein. We heard about the former owner through the media.”
Trump’s camp additionally claimed the plane was commissioned by a vendor the campaign has used in the past. Flight data revealed the craft is owned by a California-based company, Threshold Aviation Group, which offers private charters.
The ex-president was allegedly unable to use his typical 757 due to mechanical issues, which forced the campaign to land in Billings, Montana, instead of nearby Bozeman, where he held a recent rally.
After the Bozeman event, Trump took Epstein’s plane to fly to Jackson Hole for another campaign engagement. The campaign spokesperson claimed the ex-president used the controversial aircraft for only one day.
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