In a surprising revelation aboard Air Force One in July 2025, President Donald Trump disclosed the primary cause of his dramatic falling out with the late Jeffrey Epstein: Epstein’s repeated poaching of young female employees from the spa at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump stated that Epstein “stole” several spa workers, warning him to stop before ultimately banning him from the club. When pressed by reporters, Trump confirmed that one of those employees was Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most prominent accusers. “He stole her,” Trump said, referring to Giuffre, who worked as a teenage locker room attendant at Mar-a-Lago in the summer of 2000.
Giuffre, who tragically died by suicide in April 2025 at age 41, had long alleged that Ghislaine Maxwell—Epstein’s convicted accomplice—approached her at the resort while she was reading a book on massage therapy. Maxwell reportedly recruited the then-16-year-old Giuffre under the pretense of training her as a masseuse for Epstein, leading to years of alleged sexual abuse and trafficking.
Trump’s comments mark a shift in his public explanation of the rift. Previously, reports suggested the breakup occurred around 2004-2007 over a property bidding war or inappropriate behavior toward a club member’s daughter. However, Trump emphasized the staff poaching as the key issue, describing it as “creepy” and inappropriate.
The revelation has reignited scrutiny of Trump’s past association with Epstein, whom he once called a “terrific guy” in a 2002 interview. Despite the fallout, Epstein remained a Mar-a-Lago member until at least 2007, according to some records.
Giuffre’s family rejected Trump’s characterization, insisting she was targeted and preyed upon by Maxwell, not merely “stolen” as an employee. Giuffre became a vocal advocate for sex trafficking survivors, filing lawsuits that helped expose Epstein’s network.
Trump’s disclosure comes amid ongoing demands for the full release of Epstein-related files, highlighting lingering questions about powerful figures’ connections to the disgraced financier.
Leave a Reply