Trump dodges Epstein question and walks away as reporter shouts 'what was he stealing those women for?'

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: President Donald Trump has reignited scrutiny over his past friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, claiming that Epstein “stole” young women who were working at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

The remarks, made during public appearances and aboard Air Force One, come amid renewed attention to Trump’s ties with Epstein and growing demands for greater transparency in the case.

Donald Trump deflects Jeffrey Epstein questions amid resurfaced claims

While walking out of the Roosevelt Room on July 30 after signing the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act, President Donald Trump ignored a direct question from the press about his Jeffrey Epstein remarks.

An off-camera reporter called out, “Mr President, what did you think Epstein was stealing those women for?” Trump did not respond or turn around.

The moment followed Trump’s comments earlier in the week, in which he said he ended ties with Epstein in the early 2000s because the financier had repeatedly recruited spa staff from Mar-a-Lago without permission.  

“That’s such old history,” Trump said Monday, July 28. “Very easy to explain, but I don’t want to waste your time by explaining it… He hired help. And I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ He stole people that worked for me… I threw him out of the place, persona non grata.”

On July 29, aboard Air Force One, Trump confirmed that one of the women taken from the spa was Virginia Giuffre, saying: “I think she worked at the spa, I think so… And by the way, she had no complaints about us, none whatsoever.”

Old photos, DOJ files reignite scrutiny of Donald Trump-Jeffrey Epstein link

Though the president insists he cut Jeffrey Epstein off over poached staff, questions about their past friendship remain. The two were often photographed together at parties in the 1990s and early 2000s.

The Justice Department has said this month there is no “incriminating” Epstein client list, despite Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign promise to release any such files if elected.

Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly told the president in May that his name appears in hundreds of Justice Department documents related to the Epstein case, though being named does not imply guilt.

A Wall Street Journal report also claimed Trump once sent Epstein a “bawdy” birthday letter, ending with, “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday, and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

Trump has dismissed the report as fake and sued the publication for defamation.