Headline Roundup • December 31st, 2025
Why Trump Kicked Epstein out of His Mar-a-Lago Club: WSJ Report
Donald Trump,Jeffrey Epstein,Wall Street Journal,Mar-A-Lago,Criminal Justice,Politicians,Sexual Misconduct,Justice Department
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The Wall Street Journal (Center bias) released an exclusive report on Tuesday about President Donald Trump's removal of infamous sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in 2003.
The Report: "Epstein wasn't a dues-paying member of the club, but Trump told staff to treat him like one, the employees said," the Journal stated. In 2003, a beautician reportedly said Epstein pressured her for sex during a house call, which prompted Trump to order Epstein's removal from the club. Despite the club's human resources team being aware of the allegations, according to a former employee, it did not alert the Palm Beach Police Department, and Epstein wasn't arrested until 2006. The outlet noted, "Being mentioned in the files isn't an indicator of wrongdoing," but reported, "By the time Epstein was banned from the spa in 2003, disquiet over his presence at the club had been bubbling for years—including from Trump's second wife, Marla Maples, who in the mid-1990s warned her husband and others there was something 'off' about Epstein, according to former employees."
For Context: House Oversight Committee Democrats released images from Epstein's estate that included Trump and other prominent figures, in early December. A week later, the Justice Department (DOJ) released thousands of files related to Epstein, several of which were heavily redacted or unreleased.
RELATED: What's Behind Trump's Pivot on Releasing the Epstein Files? | AllSides
How The Media Covered It: Daily Caller (Right) pointed to some uncertainties surrounding Trump and Epstein's relationship, such as a federal prosecutor's claim that Trump "traveled on Epstein's private jet many more times than previously has been reported." However, the outlet also concluded its report by stating, "Several of Epstein's victims told NBC News [Lean Left] in September that they never witnessed or heard of Trump doing anything wrong." The Independent (Lean Left) highlighted, "Trump is suing [the Journal] for reporting on the existence of a lewd 50th birthday letter he allegedly sent to Epstein in January 2003."
Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission. Suggest an improvement to this summary.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Davidoff Studios/Getty Images
Jeffrey Epstein wasn't just a frequent visitor to Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The club was also sending spa employees—usually young women—to Epstein's nearby mansion for massages, manicures and other spa services, according to former Mar-a-Lago and Epstein employees.
The house calls went on for years, even as spa employees warned each other about Epstein, who was known among staff for being sexually suggestive and exposing himself during the appointments, according to the former Mar-a-Lago employees...
A new report confirmed on Wednesday that President Donald Trump cut ties with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after he pressured a young employee at Mar-a-Lago for sex in 2003.
Trump said in July that he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago in the early 2000s because he "stole" spa staffers, while other reports suggested that Epstein was removed for making advances toward another member's teenage daughter. A report by The Wall Street Journal claimed that Trump permanently removed Epstein from the premises after an 18-year-old beautician told her managers that Epstein had...
Jeffrey Epstein was never a fee-paying member of President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida but routinely received home visits from staff members sent to provide massages and manicures, a new report has alleged.
Former employees of Trump's Palm Beach estate have told The Wall Street Journal that the house calls took place around the late 1990s and early 2000s and "went on for years," even as young female employees warned each other about Epstein's predilection for "being sexually suggestive and exposing himself during the appointments."...
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