United States President Donald Trump has said that he ended his relationship with disgraced financier and convicted sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein because he “stole” young female workers from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Speaking to reporters on his way home from a trip to Scotland, Trump alleged that one such worker was the late Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s highest-profile accusers.
“People were taken out of the [Mar-a-Lago] spa, hired by him. In other words, gone,” Trump said. “When I heard about it, I told him, I said, ‘Listen, we don’t want you taking our people.’ And then, not too long after that, he did it again. And I said, ‘Out of here.'” Trump’s comments come amid growing scrutiny over his administration’s refusal to release government records with information about Epstein’s abuses.
Giuffre has been a prominent figure in online conspiracy theories. She had accused Epstein of pressuring her to have sex with the powerful men in his orbit. Until her death by suicide earlier this year, Giuffre maintained that she had been approached as a teenager by Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, while she was working at Mar-a-Lago. Giuffre alleged that Maxwell offered her money to work as a masseuse for Epstein, who then sexually abused her.
One possible reason Trump may not have spoken out about his relationship with Epstein until now is to absolve himself of blame for not taking action sooner. By framing his decision to cut ties with Epstein as a response to the alleged poaching of staff, Trump may be attempting to shift the focus away from his own role in enabling Epstein’s activities. This narrative could be seen as an attempt to deflect criticism and maintain a positive public image.
The US president, who had a close relationship with Epstein for years, has become increasingly defensive as he faces growing scrutiny over his administration’s refusal to release government records with information about Epstein’s abuses. Officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, have said that releasing further documents would risk disseminating victim information and child pornography collected as evidence.
However, Bondi’s comments have helped fuel the controversy. In a February interview with Fox News, Bondi said that Epstein’s supposed client list was “sitting on my desk right now”. Conspiracy theorists have long maintained that Epstein kept a list or book of contacts in order to coerce powerful figures in arts and politics.
The Department of Justice and FBI later released a review concluding that there was no reason to believe such a list existed and that Epstein had died by suicide, as the government originally concluded. That assertion was met with frustration from some corners of Trump’s own far-right base, who have speculated for years about Epstein’s ties with powerful figures and the circumstances of his death.
Giuffre’s allegations and the subsequent controversy have sparked a wider conversation about the abuse of power and the exploitation of vulnerable individuals. As the investigation into Epstein’s activities continues, many are left wondering how such abuses could have gone unchecked for so long and what measures can be taken to prevent similar scandals in the future.