You’ve probably seen the old video clip of Donald Trump laughing with Jeffrey Epstein at a party at Mar-a-Lago back in 1992 — it’s been replaying a lot lately as calls grow for Trump’s team to release records connected to Epstein’s sex-crimes case. It turns out the Buffalo Jills — the Buffalo Bills’ cheerleaders — were there that night, too, adding yet another odd Buffalo link to a national story.
That party happened one November weekend in 1992, just before the Bills faced the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football. Both the Bills and Dolphins cheerleading squads were invited guests. Tom McMillen, who once played for the Buffalo Braves basketball team and was then a Maryland congressman, was there too.
One of the Jills who attended told The Washington Post (on condition of anonymity) that Trump asked the Bills cheerleaders to stay overnight at the estate, and about 15 or 20 of them did, sharing rooms. She recalled Trump tossing people into the pool for fun as the night went on, saying the video looked wilder than it really was — they were young and just enjoying themselves, never imagining that Trump would one day be president.
NBC filmed the party, apparently because Trump — then recovering from failed business ventures and a divorce — saw it as a way to boost his public image. A former producer told the Post it was classic Trump: trying to rehabilitate his brand by inviting NFL cheerleaders and a TV crew to his mansion.
McMillen remembers Trump greeting everyone in a reception line and described the gathering as lively but mostly normal, with lots of couples and dates mingling.
The Bills went on to win that game against the Dolphins, 26–20, marking head coach Marv Levy’s 100th NFL win. Years later, Trump tried — and failed — to buy the Bills.
About the Author
