I believe Trump wasn't just a friend, or even a client of Epstein, but rather a partner in the business,
And at times even a competitor. How did Trump put it last year when explaining why he dropped Epstein as a friend, that Epstein "stole" young women. Strange that he would use language implying some sort of ownership, don't you think. But it goes beyond just language. In 1999, following the model of sex traffickers Jean-Luc Brunel, John Casablancas, and Paollo Zampolli, all of whom he knew well, Trump opened up Trump Model Management. Bringing in Eastern European and South American teenage girls on tourist or extraordinary talent visas, Trump would glam them up a bit, force them into sardine can like living conditions, charge them for every little thing, and turn them out for work. Whether some, or any of that work was actually legal, or even modeling, well, that's to be determined. His current wife came into this country the same way, and apparently worked in porn and escort services.
Let's not forget that Trump also owned, for awhile before he destroyed them, three beauty pagents, Miss USA, Miss Universe, and Miss Teen USA. He used his position to walk into the changing rooms while contestants were either naked or only partially clothed. He also, apparently, rigged the contest so that the ones he found most attractive won. Let's not forget that beauty pagents are rife with sexual assault, which former contestants have accused Trump of doing, and have serious ties to sex trafficking. In fact at least one of the Miss Teen USA contestants wound up being an Epstein victim.
Trump also has deep ties to the mob underworld, both the traditional native mob, and the Russian mob. It started out because the real estate and construction business has always been rife with mob influence. Then came the casinos, another mob influenced business. It also seems later that he laundered money for the Russian mob. Now the mob, both US and Russian are also heavily linked to sex trafficking. Things that make you go Hmmm.
Then there is the matter of with whom he surrounds himself. Name after name of men, currently in his administration, or prominent friends outside of it, keep dripping out of the Epstein files, Bannon, Lutwick, Dershowitz, on and on it goes. Birds of a feather, and all that.
So as these matters keep being revealed, in drips and drabs, the only conclusion I can come to is that Trump wasn't "just" a client, bad as that is. No, I think he was an active participant in international sex trafficking, in one capacity or another. Epstein might have been his partner, or his handler, who know, we certainly don't. Sadly I doubt we will ever know the full extent of this until fifty plus years from now, when Trump and all of these men of power are dead, and can't wield their influence to keep us from the truth.
But maybe, just maybe we can uncover enough in the here and now to remove that bastard from office and put him in jail where he belongs. One can but hope.
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"How did Trump put it last year when explaining why he dropped Epstein as a friend, that Epstein "stole" young women. Strange that he would use language implying some sort of ownership, don't you think."
The "ownership" implication comes from the fact that Virginia Guiffre was recruited from Mar-A-Lago by Maxwell, wherein she quit working at MAL to go work for Epstein. By "stolen from him" it's logical to conclude he was referring to "employee pilfering" in the context it was said 
But more importantly, that Trump statement was bullshit revisionist history. The falling out was over a S.FL 2004 real estate deal, where Trump snaked a property from Epstein at auction. It was an estate that Epstein had found, was interested in buying, then took Trump to give his professional opinion on. Trump's recent quote was him trying to make it sound like he cut things off with Epstein over his abuse of minors, but that's bullshit. He did not. And Epstein stayed a member at MAL until like 2009-2010, whereas the pilfering of Guiffre was like 2001.
Also, that real estate deal? In 2018 Epstein told Wolff that he thought Trump got the money for that deal from Russians, because he was broke AF at the time it happened. It's the property that Trump sold to the Russian oligarch in 2009 at the bottom of the housing market, for *at least double* the market value (which has been widely reported). Epstein thought the initial $40M (in 2004) Trump used to outbid him also came from that same oligarch. Illegally. The whole thing was "money laundering".
This part I also agree with "I think he was an active participant in international sex trafficking, in one capacity or another" but I also think too much of the focus has been on the idea that Epstein was trafficking minors at scale and/or for profit purposes. Sad reality is that trafficking gorgeous international models from 18-25yo is something that can be done with FAR greater impunity, to a FAR larger client base, than would ever be the case with minors. Non-minors can also be trafficked to mainstream pornographers, and we all know how much $$$ there is in that 
I think the idea that Epstein was grooming the 30-or-so known-minor victims for eventual, for-profit work e.g. the moment they turned 18 is one that has been way underexplored, in favor of the more titillating (but actually much less practical) "trafficking minors to his rich buddies" interpretation. NOT that Epstein was not also a total perverted sicko who got off on controlling and abusing minor girls, I'm not saying that's not ALSO true. But to the extent there was a BUSINESS? It was very likely *not* minors, and the evidence that it was is far thinner than the public's perception of "what's actually there".
Although it's perhaps a less satisfying accusation, Epstein's trafficking of non-minors is the part of the story Trump should be really, really be considered likely to have been a part of, IMHO.
him getting his cut... and it's no little slice either. Every deal he makes these days involves large chunks of cash or bitcoin being deposited in a t-Rump acct. Some aren't even in the States... He doesn't even hide it... though I believe there's still much we don't know.
Yes, they were in cahoots, partners or whatever... Until they weren't. One ego didn't get his way and they became fierce competitors/foes/enemies in all sorts of criminal schemes.
smdh
Really sure they were in the business together to some degree.
