False: US Supreme Court did not strip Trump of immunity in Epstein-related case
An X account with more than 72,000 followers claimed on July 19 that the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled to strip Donald Trump of his presidential immunity in a case involving the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The post said the decision cleared the way for Trump’s trial and suggested he could face impeachment.
It included a video of Trump saying, “I hope to make it to heaven, but I doubt I will, to be honest.”
The claim spread widely, drawing about 31,000 likes, 7,600 reposts, and 760 comments, although some comments doubted the authenticity of the claim or called it fake.
The same account repeated the false claim three days later, and a similar post circulated from other X accounts.
A review of news reports and Supreme Court records shows no new ruling this year on Trump’s presidential immunity, including in any case tied to Epstein.
The court’s most recent immunity decision was issued on July 1, 2024, in Trump v. United States. That case addressed whether a former president can be prosecuted for official acts taken while in office, not allegations involving Epstein.
The accompanying footage shows a remark Trump made earlier this year in a city named Rome in the U.S. state of Georgia, while he was discussing the economy. The transcript indicates he did not mention Epstein or the documents connected to him.
What the 2024 ruling said
In Trump v. United States, the court created a three-part framework for presidential immunity.
The court’s conservative majority said a former president has absolute immunity for acts within the president’s exclusive constitutional authority, presumptive immunity for other official acts, and no immunity for unofficial conduct.
Trump first served as president from 2017 to 2021 after being inaugurated on January 20, 2017, and leaving office on January 20, 2021. He was indicted after his first term for allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
The Constitution Annotated, a U.S. Congress legal reference (archived here), says the executive branch has taken the position that sitting presidents are immune from criminal prosecution while in office, but that immunity ends when the presidency ends.
The Supreme Court has not ruled on whether a sitting president could be prosecuted because no criminal charges have been brought against one.
Epstein allegations
Trump reportedly had a close friendship with Epstein. Their friendship dates to the late 1980s, according to the BBC. The Washington Post reported that they fell out in 2004 over a business deal concerning an oceanfront property called the Maison de L’Amitié in Palm Beach.
CNN reported that Trump’s name appeared more than 1,000 times in more than three million Epstein documents released on Jan. 30, with a list of unverified assault allegations against Trump.
One allegation came through an FBI complaint form in which a woman said Trump and Epstein sexually abused her, including rape, when she was 13 years old.
The accusation overlaps with a lawsuit filed against Trump in 2016 by an anonymous accuser identified as Jane Doe, who later dropped the case before the presidential election.
Trump has denied wrongdoing, and he has not been charged in connection with the Epstein files.
There are also documents showing Trump flew on Epstein’s private jet several times in the 1990s, which contradicts a statement made by Trump in 2024 that he was “never on Epstein’s plane.”
However, inclusion in investigative files does not prove criminal conduct, and the Justice Department has said in a press release that the allegations are false and not credible.
Origin of the claim
The X post in question was made by a user whose handle is @GBC_Press.
Its profile describes itself as a provider of “curated content and insights covering major events and ideas from diverse perspectives.”
Its posts often use expressions like “BREAKING” or “JUST IN” in all capitalized letters, but they do not usually provide evidence or sources.
