A traveling exhibit of Epstein files opened in Dallas on September 8, coinciding with the Republican Midterm Convention where President Trump is set to arrive, putting millions of documents related to the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein on public display during one of the year’s largest political gatherings.
Organizers have titled the exhibit “The Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room,” a name chosen to draw attention to Trump’s prominence in the released documents. According to CBS Texas, Trump is mentioned 38,000 times in the files, a figure cited by the exhibit’s coordinator David Garrett as the reason for centering the display on the Trump-Epstein relationship.
The reading room contains 3.5 million pages of documents compiled from the Department of Justice’s investigation into Epstein. The physical exhibit requires two semi-trucks to transport, as the documents weigh 17,000 pounds and span 574 feet across 20 bookshelves, according to the Washington Examiner. A companion bookmobile with travel editions of the materials will also operate in Dallas during the convention.
The exhibit opened on September 8 and will remain in Dallas through September 11, overlapping with the RNC Midterm Convention on September 9 and 10. The Washington Examiner reported that Garrett confirmed the timing is intentional: “We wanted to be where the conversation is happening, and the conversation is going to be there.” The bookmobile will make single-day stops in the city on September 10.
The centerpiece of the reading room is a 390-square-foot exhibit documenting instances when Trump and Epstein were together, according to Garrett. He told the Washington Examiner that the purpose is to allow visitors to “draw their own conclusions about Donald Trump, but more importantly, draw their own conclusions about why this case isn’t being investigated.”
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing and stated he severed ties with Epstein years ago, according to CBS News. The Epstein files were released following the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Trump signed into law in November 2025, directing the Department of Justice to make the materials public.
Epstein survivors plan to appear at the Dallas exhibits. CBS Texas reported that survivors Lara Blume McGee and Sharlene Rochard, who were both trafficked in Dallas, have announced their attendance. Rochard told CBS: “They have redacted the powerful people who are in the files, the co-conspirators, who have abused us.” McGee emphasized the broader significance: “This is our lives. This is our children’s lives. This is bigger than Epstein. This is for survivors everywhere.”
The exhibit is sponsored and commissioned by the Institute for Primary Facts and the nonprofit Defiance, which was founded by former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff Miles Taylor. The Institute for Primary Facts is a nonprofit that recently received tax-exempt status and has not yet filed financial disclosures, according to the Washington Examiner. Defiance is funded through monthly and annual subscriptions.
The reading room previously opened in Washington, D.C., for several days in June, according to the Washington Examiner. Garrett said Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation as chief law enforcement officer added frustration to survivors’ efforts, as personal information belonging to victims was released when the Epstein files became public.
Sources
- CBS Texas — exhibit opening, Trump mentioned 38,000 times, survivor statements, timing with convention
- Washington Examiner — document weight and dimensions, bookmobile details, organizer Garrett’s statements, prior D.C. opening, Blanche confirmation context
- CBSNews.com — Trump’s denial of wrongdoing, Epstein Files Transparency Act signed November 2025
