Donald Trump has admitted that convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein “stole” young female staff members from his Mar-a-Lago country club, including Virginia Giuffre who tragically died by suicide in April this year.
The comments come as the Trump administration continues to try to distance the US president’s name from his associations with Epstein. Even Trump’s loyal MAGA fan base have begun to turn their heads as the so-called ‘Epstein files’ are withheld from the public.
Speaking to reporters onboard Air Force One on Tuesday, Trump was asked to elaborate on his claim that he fell out with Epstein over employees that were taken from his business.
The day before, Trump had said he kicked Epstein out of his club “because he did something that was inappropriate”, clarifying that Epstein “stole people that worked for me”.
One reporter on Tuesday asked Trump if some of the workers that were taken from him were “young women”, to which Trump initially said “I don’t want to say” and then replying “yes, they were. People that worked in the spa”.
Trump went on to boast about how great his spa is before saying that when he found out Epstein was taking employees, he kicked him out.
Asked whether or not one of the taken employees was American-Australian victim Virginia Giuffre, Trump said: “Yeah he stole her. And by the way, she had no complaints about us, none whatsoever.”
Virginia Giuffre
One of Epstein’s most prominent accusers, Giuffre alleged in her complaint that she was recruited into Epstein’s sex trafficking ring at the age of 16 by Ghislaine Maxwell. She has also alleged she was “passed around like a platter of fruit” to rich and powerful men, including Prince Andrew, who has consistently denied the accusations.
Giuffre was the first of Epstein’s victims to relinquish her anonymity and go public with her accusations, revealing she was prompted to speak out for justice after the birth of her daughter in 2010.
In April 2025, Giuffre’s family issued a statement confirming her death by suicide at her farm in Western Australia, saying: “In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight”.
Ghislaine Maxwell
Last week, officials from the Department of Justice met with Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker and associate of Jeffrey Epstein, amid growing pressure on the Trump administration to disclose more details about the Epstein case.
The House committee on oversight and government then subpoenaed Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence, to testify via deposition next month at the federal prison she is at in Florida.
According to a letter sent by her lawyer to the House oversight committee, Maxwell has said she is willing to testify before Congress, but only if she is granted “formal immunity”, among other major conditions, seen by CNN.
“Ms Maxwell cannot risk further criminal exposure in a politically charged environment without formal immunity,” the letter states, meaning that if Maxwell testified, she’d be protected from criminal prosecution.
In response, a spokesperson for the oversight committee said that the committee “will respond to Ms Maxwell’s attorney soon, but it will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony”.
Furthermore, the letter from Maxwell’s lawyer ended with a final appeal to US president Donald Trump for clemency (a reduced punishment for crime), saying that if she received this then “she would be willing- and eager- to testify openly and honestly, in public, before Congress in Washington DC”.
“She welcomes the opportunity to share the truth and to dispel the many misconceptions and misstatements that have plagued this case from the beginning,” the letter states.
If you need help and advice call 1800Respect on 1800 737 732, Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.