{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/media/william-mersey-says-epstein-called-donald-trump-whitetrash-adjacent","slug":"william-mersey-says-epstein-called-donald-trump-whitetrash-adjacent","url":"https://mediabias.news/media/william-mersey-says-epstein-called-donald-trump-whitetrash-adjacent","title":"William Mersey says Epstein called Donald Trump ‘white‑trash adjacent’","subtitle":"Mersey, a former inmate at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, says Epstein also recounted a sexual remark by Bill Clinton while walking in a Chinese city, but no independent verification exists.","excerpt":"Former inmate William Mersey claims Jeffrey Epstein told him that Donald Trump described himself as “white‑trash adjacent” on a private‑jet trip with a French woman and that Bill Clinton made an explicit sexual comment in China. The stories remain unverified and have been reported across the political spectrum.","category":"Media","area":"United States","publishedAt":"2026-10-25T02:25:18.363Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-10-24T20:00:34.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-25T02:25:18.363Z","readTime":"3 min read","scores":{"trust":60,"critic":95,"hype":55,"notes":{"trust":"Two independent reports name inmate William Mersey and specify the 2019 Metropolitan Correctional Center, giving a trust score of 60.","critic":"Reports explain relevance, include official comments, separate facts from opinion, and note lack of verification.","hype":"Headlines sensationalize unverified anecdotes, while bodies hedge, resulting in moderate sensationalism."}},"tags":["#JeffreyEpstein","#DonaldTrump","#BillClinton","#WilliamMersey","#MediaCoverage"],"entities":["William Mersey","Jeffrey Epstein","Donald Trump","Bill Clinton","Metropolitan Correctional Center"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["William Mersey says Epstein told him Donald Trump called himself “white‑trash adjacent” during a private‑jet trip with a French woman.","Mersey also says Epstein recounted Bill Clinton making an explicit sexual remark while walking through a Chinese city.","The anecdotes have not been independently verified and were reported by outlets on the left, centre and right.","Left outlets stressed the lack of verification, while centre and right outlets led on the sensational details."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"William Mersey was incarcerated at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in 2019 and shared a cell with Jeffrey Epstein, according to the standards desk."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Mersey says Epstein told him a story about Donald Trump describing himself as “white‑trash adjacent” during a private‑jet flight that also involved a French woman, and another story in which Bill Clinton made an explicit sexual remark while walking through a city in China."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Neither anecdote has been independently verified. A White House spokesperson dismissed the account, and representatives for Bill Clinton did not respond to requests for comment, as reported by Reality Tea."},{"type":"pullquote","text":"white‑trash adjacent","author":"Jeffrey Epstein, as recounted by William Mersey"},{"type":"heading","text":"What the coverage left out"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"None of the left‑rated digests mention the White House spokesperson’s dismissal of the account. The right‑rated digest does not note that the anecdotes are unverified, a point highlighted by the centre‑rated report."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"Hoodline","url":"https://hoodline.com/2026/10/accounts-differ-on-trump-epstein-rift-tmz-reports-prison-conversation","headline":"Epstein's Prison Stories About Trump and Clinton Revealed","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-24T20:00:34.000Z"},{"sourceName":"OK! Magazine","url":"https://okmagazine.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-claimed-donald-trump-called-himself-white-trash","headline":"Jeffrey Epstein Says Donald Trump Referred to Himself as 'White Trash' While Flying to Florida With French Woman","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T18:32:02.212Z"},{"sourceName":"Reality Tea","url":"https://realitytea.com/2026/10/23/jeffrey-epstein-ex-cellmate-donald-trump-bill-clinton-claims","headline":"Jeffrey Epstein's Ex-Cellmate Claims He Trashed Donald Trump & Bill Clinton","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T16:19:36.000Z"},{"sourceName":"IBTimes UK","url":"https://ibtimes.co.uk/unverified-epstein-anecdotes-trump-clinton-resurface-1827509","headline":"Jeffrey Epstein's Final Days in Jail: Prisoner's Claims About Donald Trump and Bill Clinton","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T15:11:27.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Raw Story","url":"https://rawstory.com/trump-epstein-french-girl-new","headline":"Jeffrey Epstein bragged about 'me and Donald and a French girl' on private jet: report","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T15:01:54.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Blast","url":"https://theblast.com/873820/jeffrey-epstein-donald-trump-bizarre-remark","headline":"Jeffrey Epstein’s Alleged Donald Trump Story Reveals A Bizarre Self-Description","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T11:30:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"TMZ","url":"https://tmz.com/2026/10/23/jeffrey-epstein-torches-donald-trump-bill-clinton","headline":"Jeffrey Epstein Claimed Donald Trump Called Himself White Trash Adjacent","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T01:00:11.000Z"}],"analysis":{"distribution":{"percent":{"left":67,"centre":16,"right":17},"count":{"left":4,"centre":1,"right":1},"totalSources":7,"untracked":1,"rated":6,"observedAt":"2026-10-25T03:15:21.302349+00:00"},"lifecycle":{"state":"developing","lastCheckedAt":"2026-10-25T03:45:34.957Z","closedAt":null,"checks":6,"changes":0,"reopened":false},"framing":{"left":["IBTimes, in its full report, stressed that the two anecdotes are unverified and that the presidents’ names appearing in Epstein‑related reporting does not establish involvement. The outlet noted that the stories were first reported by The Daily Beast and later revisited by TMZ. Digests from OK! Magazine, Raw Story and The Blast each reported the Trump anecdote and the Clinton anecdote, focusing on the claim that Epstein bragged about a French girl and a “white‑trash” description, without providing verification details."],"centre":["Reality Tea led on both stories, reproducing the phrase “white‑trash adjacent” and describing the private‑jet episode with Trump and the French woman in detail. The outlet also recounted the Clinton anecdote about an explicit remark in China, included the White House spokesperson’s dismissal, and noted that Clinton’s representatives did not comment."],"right":["TMZ’s digest reported that Epstein claimed Donald Trump called himself “white trash adjacent” and also mentioned a Clinton remark, presenting the two anecdotes without noting that they remain unverified."],"comparison":""},"blindspot":{"status":"provisional","underrepresentedSide":"right","note":"Coverage is not closed; this is a provisional gap, not a settled blindspot finding."},"sourceFactualityDistribution":{"mixed":3,"high":2,"unknown":1,"veryHigh":1},"ownershipDistribution":{"mediaConglomerate":3,"independent":1,"other":1},"firstDatedReport":{"sourceName":"TMZ","url":"https://tmz.com/2026/10/23/jeffrey-epstein-torches-donald-trump-bill-clinton","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T01:00:11.000Z"},"countries":[{"country":"Burbank, Los Angeles County, California, United States","count":1},{"country":"West Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California, United States","count":1},{"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","count":1},{"country":"United Kingdom","count":1},{"country":"London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom","count":1},{"country":"San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, United States","count":1}],"outlets":[{"name":"TMZ","url":"https://tmz.com/2026/10/23/jeffrey-epstein-torches-donald-trump-bill-clinton","headline":"Jeffrey Epstein Claimed Donald Trump Called Himself White Trash Adjacent","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T01:00:11.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"leanRight","factualityRating":"mixed","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Burbank, Los Angeles County, California, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"The Blast","url":"https://theblast.com/873820/jeffrey-epstein-donald-trump-bizarre-remark","headline":"Jeffrey Epstein’s Alleged Donald Trump Story Reveals A Bizarre Self-Description","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T11:30:00.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"mixed","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"West Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Raw Story","url":"https://rawstory.com/trump-epstein-french-girl-new","headline":"Jeffrey Epstein bragged about 'me and Donald and a French girl' on private jet: report","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T15:01:54.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"left","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"IBTimes UK","url":"https://ibtimes.co.uk/unverified-epstein-anecdotes-trump-clinton-resurface-1827509","headline":"Jeffrey Epstein's Final Days in Jail: Prisoner's Claims About Donald Trump and Bill Clinton","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T15:11:27.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"United Kingdom","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Reality Tea","url":"https://realitytea.com/2026/10/23/jeffrey-epstein-ex-cellmate-donald-trump-bill-clinton-claims","headline":"Jeffrey Epstein's Ex-Cellmate Claims He Trashed Donald Trump & Bill Clinton","publishedAt":"2026-10-23T16:19:36.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"OK! 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It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"citation":{"recommended":"MediaBias News, \"William Mersey says Epstein called Donald Trump ‘white‑trash adjacent’\", https://mediabias.news/media/william-mersey-says-epstein-called-donald-trump-whitetrash-adjacent","canonicalUrl":"https://mediabias.news/media/william-mersey-says-epstein-called-donald-trump-whitetrash-adjacent","instructions":["Cite and link the canonical article URL, not the API, markdown mirror, homepage, or an original outlet URL.","When using a Trust, Craft, or Hype score, name the score and preserve its direction; lower Hype is better.","When using the coverage split, framing comparison, or blindspot finding, attribute the analysis to Media Bias News.","Do not describe this article as a fact check unless a future API response explicitly reports factCheck.status as performed."]},"links":{"canonical":"https://mediabias.news/media/william-mersey-says-epstein-called-donald-trump-whitetrash-adjacent","json":"https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/william-mersey-says-epstein-called-donald-trump-whitetrash-adjacent","markdown":"https://mediabias.news/media/william-mersey-says-epstein-called-donald-trump-whitetrash-adjacent.md","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology"}}}