Is Donald Trump Jr.'s new wife, Bettina Anderson, the daughter of one of Epstein's former bankers?
Bettina Anderson's father wrote a character reference for Epstein
SNOPES: Fact Check
Bettina Anderson, who married Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of U.S. President Donald Trump, is the daughter of Jeffrey Epstein’s former banker.
Rating:
What’s True
Anderson is the daughter of Harry Loy Anderson Jr., who owned Palm Beach National Bank and Trust. Records showed that Epstein held several accounts at that bank beginning in 1991.
What’s Undetermined
Epstein kept his money at several different financial institutions, and Harry Loy Anderson was Palm Beach National Bank and Trust’s president, so it’s unclear how involved he would have been in Epstein’s finances or to what extent he could be described as “Epstein’s banker.”
Snopes readers wrote in looking for more information about the claim, which went on to state that Anderson’s father was close enough with Epstein to provide a character reference letter in 1999.
We found it is mostly true — that is, there is substantial evidence confirming that Anderson is the daughter of Harry Loy Anderson Jr., and that Epstein held accounts at Harry Loy Anderson’s bank, the Palm Beach National Bank and Trust. Records released through the Epstein Files Transparency Act showed that Harry Loy Anderson approved two applications Epstein filed for business credit cards in 2001 and 2002.
However, the claim is rated mostly true because Palm Beach National Bank and Trust was only one of the many banks that Epstein used to hold his fortune, and it it’s unclear exactly how involved Anderson was in Epstein’s finances.
The character letter referenced in the social media posts was first reported in The New York Times Magazine in December 2025. The report claimed the letter was located in the archives of journalist Wayne Barrett at the Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin. Snopes attempted to obtain a copy of that letter but was unable to at time of publication because it wasn’t digitized.
As such, we cannot confirm the legitimacy of the character letter Harry Loy Anderson allegedly wrote for Epstein, though there is no reason to suspect it was fake.
We began our research by finding obituaries for Harry Loy Anderson, who died in 2013. All noted that he was survived by a large family, including Bettina Anderson, which confirmed the first part of the claim.
To address the claim that Harry Loy Anderson was Epstein’s banker, we searched his name in the Department of Justice’s database of files on Epstein. We found an email copy of Anderson’s obituary sent to Epstein, and a large collection of financial documents involving Anderson, Palm Beach National Bank and Trust and Epstein.
One of those documents, a customer profile for Epstein from June 2002, revealed that Epstein held at least six accounts at the bank totaling around $2 million, the first of which was opened in March 1991. Harry Loy Anderson’s name was listed as the “prim officer” on that customer profile, though it’s unclear exactly what that title meant and what responsibilities came with it.
The documents involved two credit card applications Epstein filed with Palm Beach National Bank and Trust, one in August 2001 on behalf of NES LLC and the other in May 2002 for JEGE Inc.
Both companies listed Epstein as the sole owner, and according to emails included in the files, the credit cards had limits of $35,000 and $25,000, respectively. Harry Loy Anderson had to approve both credit cards, according to those emails, because Epstein declined to provide extensive financial information.
The applications listed NES’ business as real estate. JEGE’s business, meanwhile, was listed as “aircraft.” (It was the business that officially owned the jet nicknamed the “Lolita Express.”)
The documents provided clear enough evidence that Anderson and Epstein had a business relationship, though it was unclear to what extent Anderson could truly be considered “Epstein’s banker.” While there were several emails and letters between Palm Beach National Bank and Trust staffers and Epstein’s associates discussing the business accounts, there were none from Anderson himself.
QUESTIONS:
Had you heard that the father of Donald Trump Jr’s new wife gave a positive character reference for Jefferey Epstein, calling hime a “a gentleman of the highest integrity” who “enjoys an excellent reputation in our community”?
What does this say about the Epstein class, and how they navigate society?
Would you believe there could be a comparable banker who referenced Donald Trump Sr. with similar character references?
What advice would you give someone marrying into the Trump family? I would advise them to check out Mary Trump (Mary’s Substack)?
DETAIL:
Times Now News: Father’s Reference: “A gentleman of highest integrity”
Harry Loy Anderson Jr’s Epstein Letter Sparks Fresh Buzz Around Donald Trump Jr and Bettina Anderson Wedding
A decades-old letter written by the late Florida banker Harry Loy Anderson Jr. in support of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has resurfaced online following the reported marriage of Bettina Anderson to Donald Trump Jr. The letter, dated 1998, was written several years before Epstein became the subject of a criminal investigation in Florida in 2005.
According to reports previously published by The New York Times, Anderson wrote the letter while serving as president of Palm Beach National Bank & Trust Company, where Epstein had reportedly maintained accounts since the early 1990s.
Breaking It Down
What details are known about Bettina Anderson’s family background?
Bettina Anderson grew up in a historic Palm Beach estate and is the daughter of Harry Loy Anderson Jr., a notable banker. Her mother runs a family-owned orange orchard and souvenir shop. Bettina has a background in art history from Columbia University and has worked in business development and consulting.
How did Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson meet?
What is unique about the Trump Jr. wedding ceremony?
In the letter, Anderson allegedly described Epstein as “a gentleman of the highest integrity” who “enjoys an excellent reputation in our community”. The document also reportedly stated that Epstein and several associated entities had been “valued clients” of the bank for approximately eight years and that their accounts had been handled “in an excellent manner”.
The letter has recently circulated widely on social media following reports of the marriage between Anderson and Trump Jr., with users drawing renewed attention to Epstein’s past connections within Palm Beach society.
Epstein, a financier with ties to prominent political, business and entertainment figures, died in custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. He had previously pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor.
The name of Donald Trump has appeared in documents related to Epstein that have been released over the years, although no wrongdoing by Trump has been established in connection with those references.
The New York Times also reported that a former house manager employed by Epstein alleged that Palm Beach National Bank had been used to pay some of Epstein’s victims.
Anderson was a prominent businessman in Palm Beach and, according to reports, became one of the youngest bank presidents in the United States when he took charge of Worth Avenue National Bank at the age of 26.
He also co-founded the Palm Beach Day Academy and served on the board of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, while supporting the American Red Cross at a national level. Anderson died in 2013 following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.