Trump links fallout with Epstein to Virginia Giuffre’s hiring from Mar-a-Lago

US President Donald Trump shared new details about his decades-old falling out with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, claiming the rift began when Epstein allegedly poached staff from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort — specifically from the spa.

Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump reiterated a story he has told before: that Epstein was banned from Mar-a-Lago for hiring away employees. When asked whether those workers were young women, Trump confirmed, “The answer is yes, they were.”

“People were taken out of the spa — hired by him — in other words, gone,” Trump explained. “And other people would come and complain, ‘This guy is taking people from the spa.’ I didn’t know that. And then when I heard about it, I told him, I said, ‘Listen, we don’t want you taking our people, whether it was spa or not spa.’ And he was fine. And then not too long after that, he did it again. And I said, ‘Out of here.’”

Giuffre Mentioned in Fallout

Trump was also asked whether one of those staff members was Virginia Giuffre, the woman who later accused Epstein of sexual abuse and became an outspoken advocate for trafficking survivors. Giuffre, who tragically died by suicide earlier this year, had said in a 2016 deposition that she worked at Mar-a-Lago in the summer of 2000 at age 16.

“I don’t know. I think she worked at the spa. I think so. I think that was one of the people. He stole her,” Trump said. “And by the way, she had no complaints about us, as you know — none whatsoever.”

It remains unclear exactly when the fallout between Trump and Epstein occurred, but Trump has long insisted their friendship ended before Epstein’s 2006 indictment for soliciting prostitution.

Epstein Questions Shadow Trump Abroad

Trump’s comments came at the end of a trip to Scotland that was meant to focus on trade. He had just announced a preliminary deal with the European Union but found himself facing persistent questions about his past connection to Epstein.

When asked whether the timing of the trade announcement was meant to distract from the Epstein controversy, Trump responded, “You gotta be kidding with that… that had nothing to do with it.”

During his meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump again addressed the issue, calling Epstein’s behavior “inappropriate.”

“He stole people that worked for me. I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ He did it again. And I threw him out of the place — persona non grata,” Trump stated.

Despite trying to move on, Trump faces pressure from within his own MAGA base to release more information tied to the Epstein investigation. Many supporters view the lingering controversy as a political smear, but calls for transparency continue to grow.

Maxwell Seeks Immunity

Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate now serving a 20-year sentence, is back in the spotlight. The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed her to testify on August 11, but her attorneys are asking for congressional immunity in exchange for her cooperation. They’ve also requested to postpone the deposition until the Supreme Court decides whether to hear her appeal in October.

In a letter obtained by NPR, her legal team wrote:

“We would like to find a way to cooperate with Congress if a fair and safe path forward can be established.”

Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has rejected the immunity request but has not ruled out adjusting the timeline for Maxwell’s testimony at the Tallahassee prison where she is incarcerated.

As legal and political pressure builds, Trump’s past with Epstein remains a shadow he can’t quite outrun — even while traveling thousands of miles from Washington.