The footage shows two wealthy men laughing and pointing as they appear to discuss young women dancing at a party.
Today, one of the men is president of the United States. The other is in federal lockup awaiting a bail decision as he fights sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.
The November 1992 tape in the NBC archives shows Donald Trump partying with Jeffrey Epstein at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, now a private club, more than a decade before Epstein pleaded guilty to felony prostitution charges in Florida.
At one point in the video, Trump is seen grabbing a woman toward him and patting her behind.
The president says that he hasn’t spoken to Epstein since his guilty plea, and that his relationship with him was no different than that of anyone else in their elite circle.
“I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him,” Trump said last week. “I was not a fan.”
But on the tape, Trump gives Epstein plenty of personal attention.
Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics
The 1992 footage was shot by NBC for Faith Daniels’ talk show, “A Closer Look,” for a profile of the then-newly divorced Trump and his lifestyle. The future president was largely surrounded by cheerleaders for the Buffalo Bills, in town for a game against the Miami Dolphins. The women offered the camera glowing testimonials about their fun-loving host.
As music pumps in the background, the tape shows Trump walking through a corridor to greet Epstein and two other guests. “Come on in … Go inside,” Trump says.
Later in the footage, Trump is seen talking to Epstein and another man while they watch the women on the dance floor. Trump noted the presence of an NBC camera to Epstein, and both point out women, while Trump occasionally claps and dances to the beat.
Though exactly what they say is difficult to understand, Trump is seen gesturing to a woman and appears to say to Epstein, “Look at her, back there. … She’s hot.” Epstein reacted with a smile and a nod.
Trump then said something else into Epstein’s ear that caused Epstein to double over with laughter.
But the president says now that he never liked Epstein.
