Trump revives Epstein controversy with remarks on Giuffre’s Mar-a-Lago past

President Donald Trump’s offhand remark about Jeffrey Epstein “stealing” Virginia Giuffre from his Mar-a-Lago resort has ignited fresh outrage and speculation, the Daily Mail reported. 

Trump’s comment this week, claiming Epstein poached Giuffre from the spa there two decades ago, drew sharp rebukes from her family, revived conspiracy theories, and spotlighted her 2016 deposition where she cleared him of any misconduct.

Back in the summer of 2000, Giuffre, then 16, held a job as a locker room attendant at the Mar-a-Lago spa in Palm Beach, Florida.

Giuffre’s Early Days at Mar-a-Lago

Her father, Sky Roberts, worked as a maintenance man at the club, and the two occasionally crossed paths with Trump, though Giuffre described no close friendship between them.

That same year, Ghislaine Maxwell approached Giuffre and recruited her as a masseuse for Epstein, marking the start of troubling allegations.

Giuffre later claimed Maxwell and Epstein coerced her into serving as a sexual companion, arranging encounters with Epstein and his associates around the world when she was 17 and 18.

Allegations Against Epstein’s Circle

Among those she accused was Prince Andrew, though he and others denied the claims and challenged her reliability.

In 2022, Prince Andrew reached a settlement with Giuffre for an undisclosed amount, including a sizable donation to her organization supporting survivors.

Photographs from 1997 show Epstein and Trump together at Mar-a-Lago, and another from February 2000 captures Trump, his then-girlfriend Melania Knauss, Epstein, and Maxwell at the club.

Deposition Details on Trump Interactions

In November 2016, during a libel suit against Maxwell—who had dismissed Giuffre’s accusations as falsehoods—Giuffre testified under oath about her limited encounters with Trump.

“I worked for Donald Trump and I’ve met him probably a few times,” Giuffre said, specifying the meetings occurred at Mar-a-Lago.

She added that her father knew Trump casually, noting, “My Dad and him, I wouldn’t say they were friends, but my Dad knew him and they would talk… when they saw each other.”

Giuffre emphasized no impropriety, stating, “Donald Trump never flirted with me,” and affirmed, “True that he didn’t partake in any sex with us.”

She clarified further: “I didn’t physically see him have sex with any of the girls, so I can’t say who he had sex with in his whole life or not, but I just know it wasn’t with me when I was with other girls.”

Giuffre also said she never witnessed Trump and Epstein together, basing any notion of their friendship on Epstein’s own words.

Recent Comment Sparks Backlash

Tragedy struck when Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025, amplifying the sensitivity around her story.

On July 29, 2025, aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters, “I think she worked at the spa, I think so, I think that was one of the people, he stole her, and by the way she had no complaints about us, as you know, none whatsoever.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained Trump was answering a query, not initiating the topic, and stressed, “The fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club for being a creep to his female employees.”

Family Response and Public Reaction

Giuffre’s family expressed shock, saying, “It was shocking to hear President Trump invoke our sister and say that he was aware that Virginia had been ‘stolen’ from Mar-a-Lago.”

They demanded clarity, adding, “We and the public are asking for answers; survivors demand this.”

Sky Roberts rejected the phrasing, stating, “She wasn’t stolen, she was preyed upon at his property, at President Trump’s property,” and noted, “Stolen seems very impersonal. It feels very much like an object, and the survivors are not objects, women are not objects.”