Maria Farmer, an artist and one of the first women to accuse Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell of sexual abuse, says she told the FBI about Donald Trump nearly 30 years ago. In an interview with The New York Times, Farmer said she first reported Epstein and Maxwell to authorities in 1996. At that time, she also mentioned Trump because of a disturbing incident she experienced in 1995.

Farmer said she had gone to Epstein’s office one night, wearing running shorts. Soon after, Trump walked in wearing a suit. According to her, Trump kept staring at her legs. Then Epstein entered and told Trump, “No, no. She’s not here for you.” The two men left, but Farmer said she overheard Trump say he thought she was only 16 years old.

Farmer was actually in her mid-20s at the time. She said she never saw Trump behave inappropriately toward other women, but the incident left her feeling very uncomfortable. She says she brought up Trump’s name again during a 2006 FBI interview and still wonders what law enforcement did with the complaints she made in 1996 and 2006. The White House has responded by calling the story “tired,” suggesting it’s old news and not worth attention.

Trump denies connection to Epstein

So far, no law enforcement agency has accused Donald Trump of any wrongdoing related to Jeffrey Epstein. Trump has never been named a suspect in any investigation linked to Epstein. After Maria Farmer’s claims resurfaced in The New York Times, the White House quickly responded. Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, said, “The president was never in Epstein’s office. He kicked Epstein out of his club for being a creep.”

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt also said, “New York Times reporters are just reusing old stories to try and link Trump to Epstein. These are weak and desperate efforts to take attention away from the success of Trump’s time in office.” Trump's past with Epstein has been questioned, even by his supporters. In 2002, Trump had called Epstein a "terrific guy," and old videos show the two partying together. But by 2019, Trump said he was “not a fan” and claimed he hadn’t spoken to Epstein in years.

Farmer’s story may explain why Trump’s name could show up in documents related to Epstein that haven’tbeen made public yet. These files are believed to include names and tips collected during the investigations of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Epstein died by suicide in jail in 2019 while waiting for his trial on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell was later sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022.  Farmer’s interview comes shortly after The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump sent Epstein a sexually suggestive birthday message in 2003. Trump denied that and has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the newspaper. Trump continues to distance himself from Epstein and even demanded the release of secret grand jury testimony from the case, saying he has "nothing to hide."