INT. TRUMP TOWER – NIGHT – PRIVATE CIGAR LOUNGE
Low light. Leather-bound walls. The fireplace glows like a confession booth in hell. Donald Trump reclines in a velvet armchair, swirling cognac. Patrick Bateman sits across from him, intense, manicured, and gleaming with Wall Street detachment. They’ve been drinking, talking legacy. Now the conversation veers into darker territory.
DONALD TRUMP
(half-grinning, eyes glazed with nostalgia)
You know, Patrick, back in the day—Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago—we owned the night. Models, heiresses, deals over daiquiris. And yeah… Epstein showed up sometimes.
PATRICK BATEMAN
(smirks, voice sharp as a straight razor)
Of course he did. He was a myth in motion. Ghost of Manhattan’s secret desires. Everyone partied with him—until it became inconvenient.
DONALD TRUMP
(defensive, waving a hand)
Listen, I banned him. Long time ago. People don’t talk about that. They just like to connect dots. But I draw lines. Clear ones.
PATRICK BATEMAN
(coolly)
Lines in the sand? Or lines on a mirrored table?
(beat)
Let’s be honest, Donald—Epstein was a financier of fantasy. A curator of taboos. He offered the illusion of control to men who already had too much of it.
DONALD TRUMP
(leaning in, voice low)
I was never controlled. Never compromised. That’s the difference. He tried to orbit me like I was the sun. But I don’t revolve around anyone.
PATRICK BATEMAN
(deadpan)
Naturally. He was a Gatsby without class. You’re more like a golden Caligula—untouchable, vulgar, worshipped by millions. And somehow… still the underdog.
DONALD TRUMP
(smirks)
Exactly. They throw scandals at me like tomatoes. I eat them. I make ketchup.
PATRICK BATEMAN
(laughs, then serious)
But you knew what he was, Donald. You felt it. That predator energy. You both had it. Difference is, you chose the spotlight. He chose the shadows.
DONALD TRUMP
(grimly)
And look where the shadows got him.
(beat)
Let’s just say… he didn’t kill himself. You and I both know that.
PATRICK BATEMAN
(cold smile)
Of course not. Power doesn’t die—it changes hands.
The fire crackles. Silence lingers. Both men drink, surrounded by portraits, ghosts, and the weight of what they’ll never say publicly.