Virginia Giuffre's family stunned after Trump said Epstein 'stole' her, question his awareness of crimes

Virginia Giuffre’s family urged Trump not to consider clemency for Ghislaine Maxwell, who had allegedly recruited Virginia from Mar-a-Lago in 2000
President Donald Trump said Epstein ‘stole’ Virginia Giuffre from the Mar-a-Lago spa (Getty Images)
President Donald Trump said Epstein ‘stole’ Virginia Giuffre from the Mar-a-Lago spa (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: The family of Virginia Giuffre, a key survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse, was shocked to know that President Donald Trump said she was "stolen" from his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, raising speculations about whether the president knew about the disgraced financier's activities.

Her family also urged the president not to consider clemency for the late financier's co-conspirator and confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Virginia Giuffre's family asks if Donald Trump was aware of Jeffrey Epstein's activities

President Donald Trump on Tuesday, July 29, said Jeffrey Epstein "stole" Virginia Giuffre from his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, where she worked as a locker-room attendant during the summer of 2000 at age 16.

Following his statement, Giuffre's family said that Trump's admission was "shocking" and asked whether he was aware of Epstein's and Maxwell's actions.

Giuffre's family said, "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," per The Atlantic.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 22: (L-R) Michelle Licata and Virginia Giuffre attend the 2019 Women's
Michelle Licata and Virginia Giuffre (Left) attend the 2019 Women's Media Awards at Mandarin Oriental on October 22, 2019, in New York City (Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for Women's Media Award)

"It makes us ask if he was aware of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s criminal actions, especially given his statement two years later that his good friend Jeffrey 'likes women on the younger side . . . no doubt about it.' We and the public are asking for answers; survivors deserve this," the family added.

However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Wednesday, July 30, that Trump was referring to Giuffre in response to a reporter's question about her.

"He did not bring her up. The fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club for being a creep to his female employees," Leavitt said in a statement.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters near the Rose Garden after returning to the White House on Marine One on July 29, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump returned to the White House with his family after a trip to Scotland that was part vacation, part work, as he stayed at his Trump Turnberry golf course, followed by Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire, from July 25 to 29. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters near the Rose Garden after returning to the White House on Marine One on July 29, 2025, in Washington, DC (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, the family also said in the statement that it was "convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell who targeted and preyed upon our then 16-year-old sister, Virginia, from Mar-a-Lago, where she was working in 2000, several years before Epstein and President Trump had their falling out."

Virginia Giuffre committed suicide at her home in Australia in April 2025.

In a civil litigation and information provided to law enforcement, she alleged that she had been recruited by Maxwell while working at Mar-a-Lago as a high schooler and had then been exploited from around 1999 to 2002 by Epstein, Maxwell, and others.

Portrait of American financier Jeffrey Epstein (left) and real estate developer Donald Trump as they pose together at the Mar-a-Lago estate, Palm Beach, Florida, 1997. (Photo by Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)
Portrait of American financier Jeffrey Epstein (left) and Donald Trump as they pose together at the Mar-a-Lago estate, Palm Beach, Florida, 1997 (Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)

Moreover, Giuffre alleged that Epstein had trafficked her to other prominent men.

Ghislaine Maxwell gave DOJ info on '100 different people' linked to Epstein

Ghislaine Maxwell shared details about 100 different people with the Department of Justice (DOJ) in connection with the disgraced financier on July 25. She met Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche at a courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida.

Maxwell was convicted of child sex trafficking in connection with Jeffrey Epstein in 2021 and has reportedly been granted limited immunity by the DOJ for information on Epstein files, ABC News reported, citing sources.

From left, American real estate developer Donald Trump and his girlfriend (and future wife), former model Melania Knauss, financier (and future convicted sex offender) Jeffrey Epstein, and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell pose together at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, February 12, 2000. (Photo by Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)
Donald Trump and Melania Trump seen with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, February 12, 2000 (Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)

The immunity allowed Maxwell to freely answer Blanche's questions without fear that her responses could later be used against her, the sources said.

Meanwhile, David Oscar Markus, Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyer, said after the meeting on July 25 that his client was asked some information regarding "100 different people" in connection with Epstein.

He added that she did not hold anything back and gave the DOJ what they needed.

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 20:  Ghislaine Maxwell attends day 1 of the 4th Annual WIE Symposium at Cen
Ghislaine Maxwell attends day 1 of the 4th Annual WIE Symposium at Center 548 on September 20, 2013, in New York City (Laura Cavanaugh/Getty Images)

The attorney also said that she was asked about "every possible thing you could imagine–everything."

Interestingly, the meeting between Blanche and Maxwell was announced by the DOJ as pressure mounted for the Trump administration to release more information on the case after it said there was no Epstein "client list" and mentioned there would be no further prosecutions in a recent memo.

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