I think we 'defend' Trump too soon. We should 'set the hook' first.
Let them convince themselves that going to the island was evil.
Them: "Trump was also on Epstein's plane!"
You: "So, going down to that island was a BAD thing?"
Them: "Of course! They did really evil things down there!"
You: "Actually, that only applies to YOUR heroes, not Trump. He hitched a ride on the plane one time (from FL to NY), but never went to the island. Would you like to talk about those who DID go down there? You know, the people that YOU just said were doing 'really evil things'?"
If all we ever do is explain that he 'once hitched a ride', we never lead them down the path to realize that the other names did something truly evil.
If you have any other ideas/refinements, please add them...
Your post is an excellent idea.
Make sure they really know how bad the island was first, before dropping "never went to the island". You can also use the "I just found out that Trump didnt go to the island" trick. Best used a day or two later.
Basically we can subvert peoples irrational hatred of Trump. Use it to fuel them to research Epstein, and eventually they reconcile the fact that Trump wasnt invovled.