President Donald Trump has called the persistent controversy around his connection to Jeffrey Epstein a “scam.” In a Truth Social post on Thursday, the president claimed it was the “Radical Left Democrats” who were trying to distract from his political achievements by focusing on the mysterious Epstein files.

The two socialized together frequently in New York City and Palm Beach from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. In 2002, Trump praised Epstein to a reporter as a “terrific guy” — and curiously added that he “likes beautiful women” on “the younger side.”