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First Post
26 minutes ago
- First Post
Why did Trump and Jeffrey Epstein really fall out? The Mar-a-Lago connection
Donald Trump has shared his most detailed account of his fallout with Jeffrey Epstein, revealing that Epstein 'stole' young spa employees from Mar-a-Lago despite warnings. The split, Trump insists, happened years before Epstein's criminal charges — but conflicting stories, including property disputes and new subpoenas for Ghislaine Maxwell, keep the controversy alive read more US President Donald Trump mimics a weightlifter while he speaks at a dinner he hosts for Republican Senators at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, US, February 7, 2025. File Image/Reuters For years, United States President Donald Trump has fielded questions about his relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein — and, crucially, what caused the two men to sever ties This week, he offered his most detailed account yet, linking the rift to Epstein repeatedly hiring away employees from Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, many of them young women working in the club's spa. While travelling back from Scotland aboard Air Force One, Trump recounted how the dispute unfolded two decades ago. He described learning that several Mar-a-Lago workers were leaving to work for Epstein, despite his warnings to the financier to stop. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'People were taken out of the spa — hired by him — in other words, gone. And other people would come and complain, 'This guy is taking people from the spa,'' Trump said. 'I didn't know that. And then when I heard about it, I told him, I said, 'Listen, we don't want you taking our people, whether it was spa or not spa, I don't want them taking people.' And he was fine. And then not too long after that, he did it again. And I said, 'Out of here.'' Trump confirmed that the workers in question were 'young women,' responding directly to reporters: 'The answer is yes, they were.' The US president explained that after Epstein ignored his warning and hired away more employees, he was barred from Mar-a-Lago. 'For years, I wouldn't talk to Jeffrey Epstein. I wouldn't talk. Because he did something that was inappropriate: He hired help,' Trump said. '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. I threw him out, and that was it. I'm glad I did, if you know the truth.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Virginia Giuffre connection Virginia Giuffre — one of Epstein's most prominent accusers — may have been among the employees Epstein took from Mar-a-Lago. When asked directly if she was one of them, Trump said, 'I don't know. 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.' Giuffre worked at Mar-a-Lago during the summer of 2000 when she was 16 years old, later becoming an outspoken advocate for sex trafficking survivors. She died by suicide earlier this year, and her association with both Epstein and Mar-a-Lago remains a key part of public interest in the case. Conflicting narratives about the falling out The explanation Trump gave this week differs from earlier accounts and statements. The White House recently said Trump banned Epstein 'for being a creep.' Trump now says the reason was tied to Epstein hiring spa employees, saying those two descriptions are 'sort of a little bit of the same thing.' Commuters walk past a bus stop near Nine Elms Station as activists put up a poster showing US President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein near the US Embassy in London, UK. File Image/AP In previous years, other theories circulated about their falling out. A 2019 Washington Post report suggested the two men clashed over a high-end property called Maison de l'Amitié, a bankrupt oceanfront estate in Palm Beach. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD That report described the pair competing aggressively for the property, though Trump's White House at the time neither confirmed nor denied that story. Epstein had been part of Trump's social circle in the 1990s and early 2000s and even attended Trump's 1999 wedding to Marla Maples. But according to Trump's own comments and those of former aides, the friendship ended years before Epstein's 2006 arrest for soliciting prostitution. Maxwell subpoenaed, Epstein files under pressure Trump's latest remarks come as the Epstein case continues to reverberate politically. Several Republican lawmakers have demanded the Justice Department release sealed documents from the Epstein investigation, some of which reference Trump's name. The White House has acknowledged his name appears in the files but insists there is no wrongdoing on Trump's part. A US Attorney alongside FBI (right), at a news conference announcing charges against Ghislaine Maxwell for her role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein in New York City, New York, US, July 2, 2020. File Image/Reuters The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime associate, who is serving a 20-year sentence for assisting Epstein in sexually abusing underage girls. On Tuesday, Maxwell's lawyers requested immunity for her testimony and asked to delay any appearance until the Supreme Court considers her case. Questions over what Trump knew Trump has repeatedly stated he never visited Epstein's private island in the Caribbean, where some of the worst abuse took place. 'And by the way, I never went to the island,' he said this week. Yet his past remarks and other reported encounters continue to raise questions about how much he knew about Epstein's activities. In 2002, Trump famously told New York Magazine that Epstein 'likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD There are accounts from others, too. A Florida businessman once said he warned Trump about holding a 'calendar girl' event with Epstein, saying he expressed discomfort about Epstein pursuing younger girls. Trump adviser Roger Stone, in his 2016 book, quoted Trump recalling Epstein's 'swimming pool was full of beautiful young girls,' with Trump allegedly commenting, 'How nice, I thought, he let the neighbourhood kids use his pool.' A 2020 book by reporters from the Miami Herald and Wall Street Journal claimed Epstein even made advances toward the teenage daughter of a Mar-a-Lago member. A ccording to one of the authors, 'such an act could irreparably harm the Trump brand, leaving Donald no choice but to remove Epstein.' Former Trump aide Sam Nunberg told The Washington Post in 2019 that Epstein's recruitment of a young woman for massages prompted Trump to excommunicate him from Mar-a-Lago — long before Epstein's sex trafficking investigation became public knowledge. Fallout overshadowing Trump's agenda Trump's trip to Scotland was meant to focus on global issues, including announcing a preliminary trade deal with the European Union and addressing the food crisis in Gaza during his meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. But questions about Epstein overshadowed much of the visit. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD When reporters asked whether the trade deal was timed to shift focus from Epstein, Trump dismissed the suggestion: 'You gotta be kidding with that. That had nothing to do with it.' Despite attempts to steer the conversation back to policy, the Epstein story continues to dominate headlines and fuel debate within Trump's own political base. He has called the controversy a 'hoax' amplified by political opponents, but the details he has shared — and the inconsistencies between different versions of events — have only fuelled further questions. With inputs from agencies
Hindustan Times
26 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Modi must show courage to rebut Trump's claims: Rahul Gandhi
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged the Centre lacked 'political will' during Operation Sindor and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not sacrifice the armed forces for 'petty political gains', daring him to categorically rebut US President Donald Trump's claims about brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi speaks during the discussion on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. (Sansad TV/ANI Grab) Gandhi cast doubts on defence minister Rajnath Singh's remarks about the Indian director general of military operation's communication with his Pakistani counterpart on May 7, challenged external affairs minister S Jaishankar's assertions on diplomacy, and hit out at the PM. 'This is a very dangerous time, and we can't afford a PM who lacks the courage to utilise the army the way it has to be used. We can't afford a PM who doesn't have the guts to say from here that Donald Trump is a liar, that he didn't stop India from fighting and is lying about the planes,' Gandhi said in the Lower House during a special discussion on Operation Sindoor Gandhi alleged that Trump has stated '29 times' that he brought about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. 'If he is lying, the PM should say here that Trump is lying. If he has the courage of Indira Gandhi, let him say here, 'Trump, you are a liar, you did not make a ceasefire and we did not lose any planes',' Gandhi said. Participating in the discussion on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi said Jaishankar's statement on China being a bigger economy in the context of bilateral tensions showed 'complete bankruptcy' 'He said they have a bigger economy and he said, are we going to fight China? This means he is scared. Don't allow India to be reduced to a battlefield where large powers are fused together. I want to tell Modi, the nation is above your image, politics and PR (public relations). Our forces are above your image, PR and politics. Have humility and dignity to understand and do not sacrifice our armed forces for your petty political gains,' Gandhi said. Gandhi questioned India's diplomatic success and said, 'The man behind the Pahalgam attack was Munir (Pakistan army chief Asim Munir) and he was having lunch with the US President. PM Modi never asked, why did Trump have lunch with Munir? According to this government, they have deterred Pakistan. But the mastermind was having lunch with President Trump.' Gandhi quoted Trump saying that he wanted to thank Munir for ending the war and said, 'Right now, General Munir, a US general and others are having a conference on tackling terror. I don't know which planet our external affairs minister is sitting on. Please come down.' Gandhi also questioned the policy of the new normal of the Centre, which has said that an act of terror amounts to an act of war, and argued that any terrorist can start a wart by launching a terror attack in India. 'You have taken the entire idea of deterrence and turned it upside down. This government is clueless about deterrence,' he said. India's biggest foreign policy challenge, Gandhi argued, was to keep Pakistan and China separate. He said that the Centre 'destroyed' the foreign policy as China and Pakistan got fused. 'The truth is: the government thought they were fighting against Pakistan. But they realised that the Pakistan air force was attached to the Chinese air force. The Chinese were feeding critical battlefield information and satellite information.' Gandhi said Jaishankar's ideas about a two-front war were wrong. 'We are facing China and Pakistan fused as one militarily. It is dangerous for the PM to use forces to protect his image. Forces should be used for national interest. Fight properly and defeat Pakistan once and for all.' The Congress leader also took on Rajnath Singh. He said that Indian armed forces' 'hands were tied' during Operation Sindoor as restrictions were imposed on what all they could attack. Gandhi pointed at recent statements made by captain Shiv Kumar, India's defence attache to Indonesia, and Lt. General Rahul R Singh. 'He (Rajnath) said the most shocking thing: We don't want escalation. The DGMO of India was told by the govt of India to agree to a ceasefire. You said, will not hit military targets. You told Pakistan your political will that you don't want to fight. The govt of India informed the govt of Pakistan that we have no political will. It amounts to immediate surrender in 30 minutes,' Gandhi said. Gandhi raked up the issue of how many fighter jets India lost and blamed the political leadership for it, while supporting the armed forces and said India wouldn't have lost any plane if Modi had 50% of late PM Indira Gandhi's courage. Gandhi compared the 1971 Bangladesh War with Operation Sindoor. 'Our soldiers are like tigers. But they have to be given full freedom. There must be political will and freedom of operation. If you want to use Indian armed forces, you should have political will and you have to give full freedom of operation. In 1971, there was political will. The US 7th fleet was coming to India. Then PM Indira Gandhi said, we have to do what we need to do in Bangladesh. The superpower of the world is coming with its aircraft carrier. But she had political will. Indira Gandhi gave full freedom to the armed forces. 1 lakh Pakistani soldiers surrendered and a new county was born.'
Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
'If PM says something ... ': Rahul Gandhi says Modi unable to refute Trump's ceasefire claims; dares him to call US President 'liar'
Rahul Gandhi (File Photo) NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over US President Donald Trump 's repeated attempts for claiming credit for brokering a peace deal between India and Pakistan. While talking to reporters outside Parliament complex, Rahul said that PM Modi is unable refute Trump's claim because the US President will then speak openly and reveal the entire truth. "Because the truth is, if the PM says something, then he (Donald Trump) will have to speak openly and reveal the entire truth - that is why he (PM Modi) is unable to speak," Rahul said. "Why is he (Trump) saying that? Because he wants his trade deal, so he'll put pressure on PM Modi there. Just watch how the trade deal turns out," he added. Rahul's remarks came as external affairs minister S Jaishankar, in the Rajya Sabha, refuted the claims made by Trump and said that not a single phone call took place between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi." "I want to tell him — he should listen carefully. From April 22 to June 16, not a single phone call took place between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi," Jaishankar said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Fully Loaded 4 BHK apts for 4.49 Cr(All Incl)* in Sec 104 ATS Triumph, Gurgaon Book Now Just a day earlier, during the Operation Sindoor debate in Lok Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had accused the PM Modi- led government of using the military operation to protect the Prime Minister's image. He further challenged PM Modi to call Trump a "liar" in Parliament, over the latter's repeated claims of using trade leverage to end the India-Pakistan conflict. "If Narendra Modi has even 50 per cent of the courage of Indira Gandhi, he should declare in the House that Trump is lying about the ceasefire," Rahul Gandhi said. Meanwhile, Trump, in his most recent comments on India, mentioned the anticipated trade deal between the US and India. While answering questions on high tariffs imposed by India, Trump said, "Yeah, I think so. India is my friend. They ended the war with Pakistan at my request. The deal with India is not finalised." "India has been a good friend, but India has charged basically more tariffs than almost any other country," he added.
