White House shrugs off Lutnick’s Epstein island trip, but critics say the contradiction is glaring

The White House is dismissing controversy surrounding Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick after he acknowledged traveling to Jeffrey Epstein’s private island and meeting with the financier, even as lawmakers from both parties call for him to step down.

As reported by The New York Times, Lutnick’s account of his interactions with Epstein has drawn renewed scrutiny following recent testimony. Lutnick had said on a podcast last year that he was so disgusted by a 2005 visit to Epstein’s townhouse that he never entered a room with him again.

In Senate testimony, Lutnick confirmed that he and his family visited Epstein’s island in 2012 for lunch during a vacation on his yacht, alongside his wife, children, nannies, and another family. The trip occurred four years after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to soliciting prostitution from a minor, and the report said Lutnick’s name appears in more than 250 files released by the Justice Department.

The administration is treating the fallout as manageable

Despite the calls for his resignation, the White House has stood by Lutnick. The week has also included a UK-Labour deal blowup. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last week that Lutnick remains an important member of President Trump’s team and that the president fully supports him.

The report also noted that other Trump administration officials have appeared in the Epstein documents, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The muted response has differed from actions taken by prominent figures in corporate and academic settings after their names surfaced in the files. The report cited Thomas J. Pritzker stepping down as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Casey Wasserman beginning the process of selling his talent agency, and Harvard launching a review of ties involving its former president, Lawrence H. Summers. Other developments have included a seized BMW purchase dispute.

Gene Grabowski, a Washington-based crisis communications expert, told the outlet that corporate leaders answer to boards, while Trump does not. The report also cited a poll from last month showing Trump’s lowest approval within the Republican Party was tied to his handling of the Epstein files release, with 53 percent of Republicans approving.

The report said Lutnick’s ties are less extensive than Trump’s own past association with Epstein, including socializing with him in the 1990s and 2000s, and it noted thousands of references to Trump-related terms in the latest batch of documents. In defending Lutnick, former Biden administration spokeswoman Alexandra LaManna told the outlet it is difficult to imagine another president weathering a cabinet official vacationing on Epstein’s island without consequences.