On Tuesday, President Donald Trump made significant remarks regarding Jeffrey Epstein and the alleged involvement of Virginia Giuffre, along with other young women employed at his Mar-a-Lago spa. During a conversation with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump detailed how Epstein had taken women from the spa, claiming, "People were taken out of the spa, hired by him. In other words, gone." This statement comes in light of ongoing scrutiny regarding Trump's past associations with Epstein, particularly following Epstein's controversial death in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on serious sex trafficking charges.
Trump expressed his disapproval of Epstein's actions, recounting how he confronted Epstein after receiving complaints from others about his behavior. "I told him, 'Listen, we don't want you taking our people, whether it was spa or not spa,'" Trump recounted. He indicated that after repeated warnings, he ultimately decided to prohibit Epstein from returning to the club, stating, "I said, 'out of here.'" This account is part of Trump's wider narrative addressing his estrangement from Epstein, a relationship that reportedly ended years prior to Epstein's arrest.
When pressed by reporters about whether Giuffre was among the women taken by Epstein, Trump responded, "I think she worked at the spa... Yeah, he stole her." Virginia Giuffre had previously accused Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's associate, of recruiting her when she was just 17 years old to perform massages at Epstein's residence. Maxwell has consistently denied these allegations. Trump's comments are among the most detailed he has offered regarding his interactions with Epstein and the subsequent fallout from those relationships.
Amid growing inquiries about the nature of Epstein's dismissal from Mar-a-Lago, Trump's narrative has evolved. Last week, White House communications director Steven Cheung stated that Epstein was expelled for inappropriate behavior. However, Trump framed the situation as a direct consequence of Epstein's actions in taking employees without permission. When asked about the differing explanations, Trump maintained, "You know, it's sort of a little bit of the same thing." He reiterated that Epstein's poaching of staff was unacceptable and led to his eventual exit from the club.
As the conversation surrounding Epstein and Maxwell continues, Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in Epstein's criminal activities. Recently, she has been publicly lobbying for a pardon, appealing to Congress to allow her to testify before the House Oversight Committee without restrictions. Maxwell's attorney, David Markus, expressed hope that Trump would consider her request for clemency, stating, "We hope Trump exercises that power in the right and just way."
During the same briefing, Trump acknowledged the possibility of granting a pardon to Maxwell, indicating that while he has the authority to do so, he has not yet been formally approached regarding the matter. "It's in the news, that -- that aspect of it. But right now, it would be inappropriate to talk about it," Trump stated. This leaves the door open for speculation about future developments in Maxwell's case and Trump's potential involvement.
