What Was Maria Farmer's ‘Troubling Encounter' With Trump? How Is She Linked To Epstein Case?
Maria Farmer is now alleging a 'troubling encounter' with Donald Trump in the 1990s and linking him to Jeffrey Epstein
The Jeffrey Epstein case has been grabbing the headlines for a while now. While the resurgence of interest in Epstein and unanswered questions about his crimes, has led to a boost in book sales, Netflix streams and YouTube searches, President Donald Trump has filed a libel lawsuit against the publisher of the Wall Street Journal and reporters who wrote a story about a collection of letters gifted to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003, including a note bearing Trump's name.
Maria Farmer, one of the first to file a criminal complaint against Epstein, is now alleging a 'troubling encounter" with Trump in the 1990s and linking him to Epstein.
Who is Jeffrey Epstein?
Jeffrey Epstein was an American financier and convicted sex offender who became notorious for running a large-scale sex trafficking operation involving underage girls and connections to influential elites. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1953, he initially worked as a teacher and later moved into finance, claiming to manage the wealth of billionaires through a secretive investment firm.
In 2005, Epstein was first investigated by Florida police after a 14-year-old girl accused him of sexual abuse. The investigation uncovered more than 30 underage victims, but in 2008, Epstein struck a controversial plea deal that allowed him to plead guilty to lesser state charges, serving just 13 months in jail with generous work-release privileges. In July 2019, Epstein was arrested again—this time by federal authorities in New York—on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors, with prosecutors accusing him of sexually abusing dozens of girls between 2002 and 2005 at his residences in Manhattan and Florida. While awaiting trial in the Metropolitan Correctional Center, Epstein died on August 10, 2019, in what was officially ruled a suicide. At the time of his death, Epstein had been denied bail and faced potentially decades in prison. His associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was later arrested and convicted for her role in helping Epstein recruit and abuse underage victims.
Who is Maria Farmer?
Maria Farmer is an American figurative visual artist and one of the earliest known accusers of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. She filed a criminal complaint about Epstein's conduct in 1996.
She grew up in Kentucky; studied art at Santa Clara University (B.A., 1992), then earned her MFA from the New York Academy of Art in 1995.
She completed a postgraduate workshop at the Santa Fe Art Institute under painter Eric Fischl in 1995.
Maria Farmer's allegations against Jeffrey Epstein
Farmer was introduced to Epstein and Maxwell at her MFA show in 1995. She was subsequently hired by Epstein as an art consultant and desk receptionist at his New York townhouse. In 1996, while isolated at Epstein associate Leslie Wexner's Ohio estate, Farmer alleged she was sexually assaulted by Epstein and Maxwell. She escaped and reported the incident to the NYPD and FBI.
Despite detailing threats from Maxwell and lack of follow-up by authorities, her case faded from public view until journalist Vicky Ward's 2002 Vanity Fair exposé omitted her story — reportedly under pressure. The trauma impacted her art: she paused painting for over 20 years.
What did Maria Farmer say about Donald Trump?
In July 2025, Farmer alleged she reported concerns about Donald Trump—who allegedly made her uncomfortable at Epstein's NYC offices—to the FBI in 1996 and again in 2006.
Farmer alleged she told the authorities to look at the relationship between Epstein and high-profile celebrities like Trump and politicians like Bill Clinton.
She said she mentioned Trump specifically because the two men 's eemed so close".
Farmer has alleged she had a 'troubling encounter' with Trump in the 1990s. At the time, she was a teenager and Trump was a real-estate developer. Farmer, who was wearing running shorts, alleged Trump, who was in a business suit, 'stared at her bare legs". She said she remembered feeling scared. Then, Epstein came into the room. He told Trump, 'No, no. She's not here for you." The men then left the room, she said.
The White House has denied the incident ever occurred. 'The president was never in [Epstein's] office. The fact is that the president kicked him out of his club for being a creep," White House communications director Steven Cheung said.
The Epstein controversy impact
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The Epstein controversy has created a major fissure between Trump and his loyal base, with some of his most vocal supporters slamming the White House for the way it has handled the case, and questioning why Trump would not want the documents made public.
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News explainers What Was Maria Farmer's 'Troubling Encounter' With Trump? How Is She Linked To Epstein Case?
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