Trump claims he 'threw out' Epstein for stealing staff, Internet says 'he’s telling more than one story'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump has revealed why he distanced himself from the late Jeffrey Epstein, saying the disgraced financier was kicked out of Mar-a-Lago for repeatedly trying to hire his staff.

Trump commented while speaking to reporters in Scotland on Monday, July 28. His remarks came amid renewed scrutiny of his past ties to Epstein, who died in July 2019 while awaiting trial on federal trafficking charges.

Donald Trump reveals reason he ‘wouldn’t talk’ to Jeffrey Epstein for years

The Jeffrey Epstein saga and the infamous list are all everyone can talk about now. President Donald Trump is currently abroad on a visit to Scotland, yet he's still being peppered with questions about his past association with Epstein.

“That’s such old history, very easy to explain,” Trump said when asked by a reporter about his relationship with Epstein.

“But I don’t want to waste your time by explaining it.” Trump then launched into his version of the events that led to Epstein being barred from the Palm Beach resort.

“But for years, I wouldn’t talk to Jeffrey Epstein. I wouldn’t talk because he did something that was inappropriate,” he told reporters. “He hired help, and I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ He stole people that work for me. I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ He did it again,” Trump said. “I threw him out. That was it. I am glad I did, if you want to know the truth.”

Trump remarked that Epstein was treated as a “persona non grata."

Donald Trump says he never ‘had the privilege’ of going to Jeffrey Epstein’s island

“I never had the privilege of going to his island,” Donald Trump said. “But a lot of people in Palm Beach were invited to his island. In one of my very good moments, I turned it down.” You can hear Trump say it at 0:36 in the video below. 

Over the years, several accounts have emerged about Trump’s falling out with Jeffrey Epstein.

There were claims that Epstein was kicked out of Mar-a-Lago for hitting on a member’s underage daughter, as well as reports of a property dispute between the two.

A book titled 'The Grifter's Club' stated that Epstein’s membership at Mar-a-Lago was terminated in October 2007 after an incident involving another member’s daughter. Epstein had been a member of Trump’s Florida club until 2007.

Sarah Blaskey, an investigative reporter for the Miami Herald and one of the book’s co-authors, told the newspaper: "One club member said Mr Trump kicked Epstein out after Epstein harassed the daughter of a member. The way this person described it, such an act could irreparably harm the Trump brand, leaving Donald no choice but to remove Epstein.”

Trump’s Florida club also featured in late Virginia Giuffre’s allegations. The Epstein victim said she was working there as a teen spa attendant when Ghislaine Maxwell approached her and offered her a job as Epstein’s masseuse.

Prior reports have suggested that Trump and Epstein fell out after 2004, when Trump outbid Epstein for a French Regency-style estate in Palm Beach.

Most recently, a White House spokesman said Trump expelled Epstein from Mar-a-Lago for “being a creep.”  

Pam Bondi sparks backlash over shifting stance on Donald Trump-era Jeffrey Epstein records release

Investigative momentum has surged in recent months following Attorney General Pam Bondi’s controversial reversal on the Trump administration’s earlier promise to fully release Jeffrey Epstein-related records.

Earlier this month, Bondi requested that the Department of Justice petition several federal judges to unseal grand jury transcripts related to  Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche reportedly met with Maxwell and her legal team for several hours at a Florida courthouse on Friday, July 25. According to sources, the meeting focused on gathering more information about individuals who may have been connected to Epstein’s inner circle. 

Internet suspicious as Donald Trump downplays Jeffrey Epstein ties 

The internet didn’t seem convinced by Donald Trump’s explanation, especially since this marks the first time he has spoken in such detail about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, with whom he publicly mingled for nearly 15 years, from dinners at Epstein’s New York mansion to parties with models at Mar-a-Lago.

On Monday, July 28, while speaking to the foreign press, Trump insisted he had no involvement in Epstein’s crimes and claimed he “turned down” an invitation to the financier’s private island, Little Saint James.

One skeptical social media user wrote on X, “They fell out over a real estate deal,” casting doubt on Trump’s stated reason for their falling out.

Another social media user suggested that Trump’s decision to disassociate from Epstein ultimately hinged on money, writing, “So it wasn’t that Epstein was a ‘creep?’ Of course not! It had to be something that revolved around money— and it WAS!”

One X user trashed Trump's explanation, saying, “That’s today. Tomorrow (or 2 weeks) we’ll have the real story.”

One bitter X troll wrote, “He hired help and I said don't ever do that again. He stole people that worked for me.” They added that Trump also said he didn’t have the “privilege” of going to Epstein Island — suggesting he seemed more upset about not being invited than about what actually happened there.

A couple of naysayers on X pointed to an alternate version mentioned in a book and claimed Trump's response wasn't the full truth. “He's telling more than one story. According to the book 'The Grifter’s Club,' he said he banned him because he hit on a Mar-a-Lago member's daughter. Now he's changing the story to say it was because Epstein stole workers. I think the real reason is because Epstein got in trouble,” one user wrote.

Another clearly exasperated social media user shared a meme captioned, “The ‘I don’t wanna waste your time by explaining it,’ followed by explaining it felt like this,” poking fun at Trump's shifting explanation.

Yet another X user couldn’t believe Trump’s reasoning, writing, “So that was the big sin — Epstein stole people who worked for Trump?”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online