Gavin Newsom released a year-end video that uses DOJ-released Epstein documents to mock former President Donald Trump, juxtaposing redacted and unredacted pages and highlighting passages referencing Trump. The DOJ published an initial batch of records on Dec. 19 that together amounted to nearly 30,000 pages, while saying some Trump-related submissions to the FBI were "unfounded and false." Attorney General Pam Bondi said more than a million potentially related documents may be released in the future.
Newsom’s 2025 “Wrapped” Video Mocks Trump Using Newly Released Epstein Files
Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
California Governor Gavin Newsom on X released a brief year-end video that uses Department of Justice documents related to Jeffrey Epstein to lampoon former President Donald Trump.
The clip juxtaposes heavily redacted pages with the few unredacted passages the DOJ has made public, and overlays them on archival footage of Epstein and Trump talking. A voice in the video intones, "And with that, the 2025 season comes to an end," while a headline on screen reads, "DOJ defends removing Trump photo from Epstein files." The montage is set to Mumford & Sons’ "White Blank Page."
A picture of Trump and Epstein was in Epstein's desk drawer and scrubbed from the DOJ's Epstein files dump. / X / House Oversight Democrats
On Dec. 19 the DOJ released an initial batch of Epstein-related documents. That release — part of compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed in November — included nearly 30,000 pages overall, though many pages were heavily redacted. Among the materials were photos that briefly showed Trump with his then-girlfriend Melania Trump and with Ghislaine Maxwell; the DOJ later removed those images for "further review."
The released materials contain passages that reference Trump. Newsom highlighted several of those lines, including a passage saying, "Donald Trump traveled on Epstein’s jet many more times than previously has been reported (or that we were aware)," and an alleged Epstein email that reads, "I have met some very bad people... none as bad as Trump."
Jeffrey Epstein (left) and Donald Trump in 1997. / Davidoff Studios Photography / Getty Images
A 2020 entry from the Southern District of New York noted at least one flight where the "only three passengers" were Trump, Epstein and an unnamed 20-year-old woman. At the same time, the DOJ said documents about Trump that were submitted to the FBI before the 2020 election were "unfounded and false."
Newsom’s short video frames those disputed references and redactions as part of an end-of-year wrap-up poking fun at Trump’s denials. Trump has dismissed the document releases as a Democratic "hoax" and resisted efforts to force their disclosure, despite previously saying during his campaign that he supported the release of Epstein-related materials.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the department has identified "over a million more documents" that could be related to the Epstein matter, but did not provide a timeline for when additional records will be made public.
The Daily Beast reached out to the White House for comment about Newsom’s video and did not receive an immediate response.
Context: Jeffrey Epstein died in 2019. The Epstein Files Transparency Act requires the DOJ to make Epstein-related documents public, but releases have been staggered and heavily redacted to protect victim identities and sensitive information.
