President Donald Trump faces renewed scrutiny after a bombshell Wall Street Journal investigation reveals disturbing details about Jeffrey Epstein’s operations at Mar-a-Lago resort.
A major investigation published by The Wall Street Journal has exposed shocking new details about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s relationship with Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. The report reveals how the luxury Palm Beach club became a hunting ground for Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell to recruit young women.
The investigation shows Mar-a-Lago regularly sent spa workers to Epstein’s nearby mansion. These workers were mostly young women who provided massages and other services at his home. Former employees said this practice went on for years without anyone stopping it.
Epstein never paid membership fees at Mar-a-Lago. But Donald Trump told staff to treat him like a member anyway. Maxwell often booked spa appointments using Epstein’s name. She had her own account at the resort’s spa.
Workers at the spa knew Epstein was nothing but trouble. They warned each other before going to his house. Former employees said Epstein would expose himself during appointments. He made sexual comments to the young women who came to work.
Maxwell used the spa as her personal recruiting center. She approached young workers about “side jobs” that could make them extra money. She told them they would give massages to her “friend.” The club never approved these arrangements.
Virginia Giuffre was one of Maxwell’s targets. Giuffre said Maxwell recruited her from Mar-a-Lago in 2000, when she was 16. She left her spa job to work for Epstein. Giuffre later said her first visit to Epstein’s mansion ended in sexual assault.
The breaking point came in 2003. An 18-year-old beautician returned from Epstein’s house with a serious complaint. She told managers that Epstein pressured her for sex during the appointment. A manager wrote a letter to Trump explaining what happened.
Donald Trump read the letter and said it was “a good letter.” He told staff to “kick him out” immediately. Both Epstein and Maxwell got banned from the spa after this incident.
The club never called the police about the 2003 complaint. Law enforcement didn’t start investigating Epstein until 2005. That happened after a parent reported that Epstein molested their 14-year-old daughter.
Trump’s second wife, Marla Maples, had warned about Epstein years earlier. Former employees said Maples told Trump that something felt “wrong” about Epstein. She worried about his influence around the resort. Workers remembered her comments because Maples rarely spoke badly about anyone.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the WSJ report an “innuendo” designed to hurt Trump. The investigation doesn’t accuse Trump of any crimes. But it shows how Epstein used Mar-a-Lago as his base of operations for years.
Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. She remains behind bars for her role in Epstein’s crimes.