Trump Faces Backlash As #TrumpPedoFiles Trends After Use Of Jeffrey Epstein's Former Jet | Here's What Happened

A viral Reddit post claims that former President Donald Trump recently traveled on a private jet that was once owned by the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The post, shared on the r/pics subreddit, alleges that a Gulfstream G550 bearing a Trump 2024 logo landed at a small airport in Aspen, Colorado. The hashtag #TrumpPedoFiles began trending on Twitter following the emergence of this story, sparking widespread discussion and controversy online.

This hashtag has also been used in the past by critics to draw attention to allegations and connections between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, despite the lack of concrete evidence directly linking Trump to Epstein's criminal activities.

Did Trump Fly On Epstein’s Jet During The Weekend For His Campaign?

According to the Reddit user u/shiruken, records show that an aviation company purchased the plane from an LLC connected to Epstein in February 2021. The user claims they traced the plane's history using its tail number, 550GP, and its serial number, 5173.

“This aircraft’s old designation was N212JE (note the matching serial number) and was previously owned by Jeffrey Epstein (note the last two letters of the tail number),” the Reddit user wrote. “The registration history shows it was owned by Epstein’s Plan D, LLC in the U.S. Virgin Islands before being transferred to N550GP, LLC in February 2021. The tail number was subsequently changed to N550GP in July 2021.”

This claim quickly gained traction online.

The Reddit post received even more attention after being shared on X by the "Harris | Walz War Room," an independent grassroots campaign account supporting Kamala Harris for President. The account asked, “Is anyone going to ask Donald why he was flying on Jeffrey Epstein’s plane on Saturday?”

The origins of the photo are somewhat unclear. According to Reddit user u/shiruken, the image was initially posted by another user, u/ChuckBarley.

The plane's recent travel itinerary, as detailed by u/shiruken, seemed to align with Trump's schedule.

“According to Flight Aware (screenshot), it was dispatched to Bozeman, MT on Friday, presumably after Trump’s personal plane experienced mechanical issues,” the user explained, noting that Trump's plane recently had to make an emergency landing. “The plane’s route aligns with Trump’s high-profile fundraising events on Saturday in Jackson Hole and Aspen with fossil fuel tycoons and investment executives.”

The thread continues by highlighting an Instagram story from the Aspen airport on Saturday, which clearly shows the plane with the Trump campaign logo.

A report from the Aspen Daily News confirms that Trump flew into the town on this jet and includes a photo with the visible tail number.

The Air Current, an outlet specializing in "data-driven reporting & analysis on the business, technology, and strategy of flying," as per its X bio, confirmed on Monday that Epstein had previously owned the plane now used by Trump.

Did Donald Trump Know About The Jet Being Previously Owned By Jeffrey Epstein?

Donald Trump's campaign explained that the plane was used on an emergency basis on Saturday after "Trump Force One" was grounded on the way to a rally in Montana. According to officials, they were unaware that the replacement plane, which was used to attend fundraisers in Wyoming and Colorado, had previously belonged to Epstein, as reported by USA TODAY.

"We had absolutely no idea," said a campaign official, speaking anonymously about the situation.

The plane in question was not the infamous "Lolita Express" that Epstein allegedly used to transport young girls to a private island; that aircraft has since been destroyed, reports USA TODAY.