A new investigation by The Wall Street Journal has alleged that teenage employees from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago spa were sent to perform private services at the nearby mansion of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, revealing new details about the former president’s past connections to Epstein.
According to the report, which cites unnamed former employees of both Mar-a-Lago and Epstein, spa workers such as masseuses and manicurists were regularly dispatched from Trump’s Florida resort to Epstein’s residence. Although Epstein was not a paying member of Mar-a-Lago, staff members were allegedly instructed to treat him as if he were one.
Former employees told the Journal that Epstein had a disturbing reputation among workers. They claim staff warned one another about him due to behavior that allegedly included making sexually suggestive comments and exposing himself during appointments.
In response, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the report, accusing the Journal of spreading falsehoods to damage President Trump’s reputation. She said Trump had “done nothing wrong” and stated that Epstein was ultimately banned from Mar-a-Lago for inappropriate behavior.
The Journal’s reporting appears to partially support that claim. According to the article, in 2003 an 18-year-old Mar-a-Lago employee returned from an appointment at Epstein’s home and told her managers that Epstein had pressured her for sex. A manager allegedly sent Trump a fax describing the incident and urged him to ban Epstein from the resort. Former employees said Trump responded positively to the message and instructed staff to remove Epstein from Mar-a-Lago.
The incident was not reported to police at the time. However, two years later Epstein became the subject of a criminal investigation after a parent accused him of sexually abusing her 14-year-old daughter. Epstein later pleaded guilty to solicitation of prostitution and solicitation of prostitution involving a minor.
Epstein’s legal troubles escalated in 2019, when he was charged with federal sex trafficking offenses. He died in a New York jail while awaiting trial, a death ruled a suicide. Since then, his relationships with powerful figures have come under renewed scrutiny.
That scrutiny has intensified following recent document releases by Trump’s Department of Justice, which was ordered to release all evidence related to Epstein by December 19. The documents have been released in stages and include references to numerous high-profile individuals.
One document dated October 27, 2020, appears to be an FBI intake report recounting claims made by a former limousine driver. The driver alleged that he met Trump in 1995 and drove him to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. According to the report, the driver said Trump made comments during a phone call that were so disturbing he nearly stopped the car.
The same document states that years later, when the driver recounted the incident to a woman, she reacted with visible shock and claimed that Trump and Epstein had raped her. The Justice Department emphasized that these claims are unverified.
In a statement issued on December 23, the DOJ acknowledged that the newly released documents contain false and sensational allegations against Trump. The department said the claims lack credibility and would have been used against him earlier if they were substantiated, but were released to comply with transparency requirements and legal obligations to Epstein’s victims.
The allegations continue to fuel public debate over Epstein’s network and the extent of his ties to influential figures, even as Trump and his administration strongly deny any wrongdoing.