Donald Trump has commented publicly for the first time on the ongoing release of documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein, arguing that the disclosure risks destroying the reputations of people who, in his words, only encountered the disgraced financier in passing and without wrongdoing.

Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, the US president said that many individuals photographed with Epstein had no involvement in his crimes. Trump expressed particular sympathy for former Democratic president Bill Clinton, whose name and images appeared in the initial batch of materials released by the Justice Department. Trump said he had always maintained cordial relations with Clinton and described it as unfortunate that such images were resurfacing. He argued that the current situation was driven mainly by Democrats, along with what he described as a small number of “bad Republicans”, and suggested that this pressure had also led to the publication of photographs involving himself.

Trump insisted that Epstein was a figure who moved widely in elite circles and claimed that many people were photographed with him simply because he attended social events. He said that while Clinton was capable of handling the scrutiny, others were now being exposed despite having, in his view, no substantive connection to Epstein. He referred to respected figures in finance and law whose reputations, he warned, could be unfairly damaged by their presence in old photographs.

The president said he had heard widespread anger from people upset that images of individuals with no direct link to Epstein’s criminal conduct were being made public. As an example, he mentioned Larry Summers, the former US treasury secretary and Harvard professor, who announced in November that he would withdraw from public life following revelations about past email exchanges with Epstein.

Trump again attempted to downplay the significance of the Epstein files, describing them as a distraction from what he portrayed as major achievements by his administration and the Republican Party. He complained that media attention remained focused on Epstein at a time when, according to Trump, his government was announcing major initiatives such as the construction of what he described as the largest and most powerful warships in the world.

Despite Trump’s suggestion that the issue should be considered closed, the release process is far from complete. Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed Congress with near-unanimous support and was signed into law by Trump, the Justice Department is required to make the full set of Epstein-related records public. So far, only one batch of documents has been released, prompting strong criticism from survivors and lawmakers.

On Monday, a spokesperson for Bill Clinton, Angel Urena, called on the Justice Department to publish any remaining materials that reference Clinton, including photographs. Urena said there were growing concerns that selective disclosures were creating misleading impressions about individuals who had previously been cleared by the same authorities. He argued that there was no need for protection and questioned why some information appeared to be withheld.