3:07President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland, July 29, 2025.Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump stated that Jeffrey Epstein had "stolen" Virginia Giuffre and other young women who were employed at his Mar-a-Lago spa.
"Individuals were removed from the spa, recruited by him. In other words, they were gone," Trump informed reporters aboard Air Force One while en route from Scotland to Washington, where he continues to deal with the repercussions of his administration’s management of documents related to Epstein.
"Others would arrive and express their concerns, saying, ‘this guy is taking people from the spa.’ I was unaware of that," Trump elaborated. "Upon learning about it, I told him, ‘Listen, we don’t want you taking our staff, whether they are from the spa or not.’ I don’t want him taking people. He agreed. Yet, shortly after that, he did it again, and I said, ‘get out.’"
When asked whether one of those women was Giuffre, an accuser of Epstein who tragically passed away by suicide this past April at 41, Trump was queried.
Giuffre had previously claimed that Ghislaine Maxwell recruited her when she was 17, working as a locker-room attendant at Mar-a-Lago in 2000, and brought her to Epstein’s residence for a massage, as ABC News reported. Maxwell has denied these accusations.
"I’m not sure. I believe she worked at the spa; I think that was one of the individuals. Yes, he took her. And by the way, she had no complaints about us, none at all," Trump replied.
These remarks appear to be the most comprehensive Trump has made publicly regarding his split with Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. At the time of Epstein’s arrest, Trump mentioned they hadn’t communicated in 15 years.
President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland, July 29, 2025.Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Recently, White House communications director Steven Cheung stated that Epstein was expelled from Trump’s club "for being a creep."
On Monday, Trump depicted their rift as stemming from Epstein luring away his staff after being cautioned not to do so.
When confronted about the seemingly conflicting reasons, Trump insisted they are "essentially the same thing."
"You know, it’s somewhat similar," he remarked. "But no, he took individuals that worked for me, and I told him, ‘don’t do it again.’ And he did. I said, ‘stay away from here.’"
During the Air Force One gaggle, a reporter asked Trump, "Mr. President, Epstein has a certain reputation, but just curious if some of the workers taken from you were young women?"
He responded, "Well, I don’t want to specify, but it’s widely known who was taken. And the idea of taking my employees is unacceptable. But that narrative has been pretty much out there. The answer is yes, they were."
Maxwell, a longtime associate of Epstein, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking and is now actively seeking a pardon.
On Tuesday, she appealed to Congress on that matter, hoping to testify "openly and honestly" before the House Oversight Committee. Following nine hours of interviews with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last week, her attorney David Markus expressed hope that Trump would "exercise that power in a fair and just manner."
Blanche has not disclosed the content of the discussions, stating only that he would address it at the "appropriate time." Sources informed ABC News
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
