The controversy surrounding the Epstein files continues to intensify, raising fresh questions about President Donald Trump’s historical connection to the late financier. While Trump’s allies insist he severed ties long ago, a new analysis suggests his Palm Beach club played a central role in the scandal. Specifically, a report highlights how Mar-a-Lago was crucial to Epstein and his recruitment of victims during the years the two men were close friends.
The “Crucial” Connection
In an article published on January 2, The Nation’s Jeet Heer examines the depth of the relationship before the infamous fallout. Heer points to a “damning report” published by the Wall Street Journal on December 30, which asserts that the private club was not just a social hangout, but a hunting ground.
“Trump’s claim to have dropped Epstein is partly true but obscures a crucial fact: that he and Epstein were close friends from the 1980s until their break at some point in 2003,” Heer explains.
Furthermore, the report notes that Mar-a-Lago was crucial to Epstein because it provided access to potential victims. For instance, in 2000, Ghislaine Maxwell—Epstein’s primary accomplice—recruited Virginia Giuffre, who was working as a locker room attendant at Mar-a-Lago at the time. Giuffre later testified that Epstein raped and trafficked her to his powerful friends.
Warnings Ignored?
According to the WSJ reporting, members of Trump’s inner circle suspected something was wrong long before any criminal charges surfaced. Notably, Trump’s second wife, Marla Maples, reportedly warned in the mid-1990s that there was something “off” about Epstein.
Despite these warnings, the friendship persisted for nearly two decades. “The question becomes: What did Donald Trump know about Jeffrey Epstein’s predations and when did he know it?” Heer asks. While Trump barred Epstein from the club in 2003/2004—citing a dispute over real estate or an employee—Heer argues this does not erase the prior years of access.
“Trump had every reason to know before 2003 that Epstein was sexually mistreating Mar-a-Lago employees,” Heer writes. “In judging politicians, criminal guilt is not the only standard to use.”
The Michael Cohen Defense
Conversely, Trump’s defenders argue that the President had no contact with Epstein during his later business years. Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney turned critic, stated in a July appearance on MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) that he never saw the two interact.
“From the time that I started to the time that I finished in 2018, I actually never heard him mention Jeffrey Epstein at all,” Cohen recalled. “I never saw Jeffrey Epstein in the office… There was no relationship, from the time I started at the org to the time that I left.”
However, Cohen did not join the Trump Organization until 2007, years after the alleged “crucial” period at Mar-a-Lago had ended.