Trump says it ‘bothers’ him that GOP is investigating Bill Clinton: ‘I still like him’

Donald Trump has said it "bothers" him that his own party is investigating Bill Clinton over links to Jeffrey Epstein.

On Wednesday evening, as fallout from the Department of Justice's latest dump of Epstein files continued, Trump drew ridicule from political analysts after insisting he still “likes” the former president despite years of political combat between the pair.

In an interview with NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas, Trump was asked about House Republicans’ push to force Bill and Hillary Clinton to testify publicly about their ties to Epstein.

The move has triggered a fierce backlash from Democrats, who responded by threatening to subpoena Trump about his own relationship with the disgraced financier.

“It bothers me that somebody is going after Bill Clinton,” Trump said. “I like Bill Clinton. I still like Bill Clinton.”

When Llamas pressed him on what he likes about the former president, Trump replied: “I liked his behavior toward me. I thought he got me, he understood me.”

The comments come just days after several House Democrats joined Republicans in voting to compel the Clintons’ testimony, ending months of stalemate on the House Oversight Committee. A lawyer for the Clintons has accused the committee chair, the Republican Representative James Comer, of acting in bad faith to secure the appearance.

Trump’s warm words for Clinton this week mark a striking contrast with the bitter political clashes that have largely defined their relationship since the 2016 presidential campaign. That included the Trump campaign packing the front row of one of his debates against Hillary Clinton with alleged sexual assault victims of the 42nd president.

Before entering politics, Trump frequently praised the Clintons and moved in the same social circles – Hillary Clinton even attended Trump’s 2005 wedding to Melania. But once the presidential race began, Trump accused Bill Clinton of being “one of the great abusers of the world” and sparred with Hillary Clinton over the sexism and language he used on the campaign trail.

Their post‑election interactions have been scarcely less fraught. Although Bill Clinton confirmed that he had called Trump to congratulate him in 2016.

The renewed scrutiny of Epstein’s sprawling network has now pulled both men back into the spotlight. With the GOP escalating their investigation into the Clintons, and Democrats signaling they may retaliate by hauling Trump before Congress, the former president’s defense of Clinton has prompted ironic mockery.

"Well well well. Someone tell Comer that Donald Trump is upset he’s going after Bill Clinton," wrote Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko on X.