Headline Roundup • August 23rd, 2025
Ghislaine Maxwell Interview Reveals Praise for Trump, Doubts About Epstein's Death
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted felon and former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, said she never witnessed inappropriate behavior by President Donald Trump or anything untoward in his friendship with Epstein, according to a newly released U.S. Justice Department transcript.
Takeaways From The Transcript: The July interview took place in Tallahassee, Florida, where Maxwell answered questions about several individuals connected to the disgraced financier. The transcript spans more than 200 pages of Maxwell's exchange with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
When asked what she "observed" in Trump's "relationship with you or Mr. Epstein," Maxwell said, "Trump was always very cordial and very kind to me. And I just want to say that I … admire his extraordinary achievement in becoming the president now. And I like him, and I've always liked him."
She also cast doubt on Epstein's cause of death, saying, "I do not believe he died by suicide." David Oscar Markus, an attorney for Maxwell, said during the interview that "there's no client list" connected to allegations involving Epstein's high-profile associates.
For Context: Maxwell is serving five years into a 20-year prison sentence for role in a sex-trafficking scheme, but has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn her conviction. Her comments during the interview have fueled speculation that she's angling for a presidential pardon. Trump has been trying to distance himself from Epstein, particularly after a Wall Street Journal report alleged that his name appeared multiple times in the Epstein files.
How The Media Covered It: Newsmax (Right bias) highlighted comments from House Oversight Chair James Comer praising the "Trump DOJ" for acting faster than the "Biden DOJ." BBC News (Center) focused on Maxwell's conviction, her bid for a pardon, and credibility concerns, while also naming other high-profile figures linked to Epstein—Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and Prince Andrew—and noting her denial of a "client list." Associated Press (Left) emphasized Maxwell's praise of Trump but framed it within broader political tensions over Epstein-related records, noting the transcripts were released by the White House under mounting public pressure.
Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell has told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that she never witnessed anything untoward in President Donald Trump's friendship with the convicted sex offender and never heard of any allegations that Trump acted inappropriately — "absolutely never, in any context."
Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in federal prison in Texas and is actively seeking a pardon, also said she didn't see Trump in any massage setting at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida or at Epstein's house.
Ghislaine Maxwell, the jailed associate of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has told US officials she did not witness any inappropriate conduct by Donald Trump or former President Bill Clinton.
The Trump administration has faced pressure to disclose information about Epstein, who the US president was previously friendly with.
Maxwell was interviewed from prison in July and, according to the newly released transcript, told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that a much-discussed Epstein "client list" does not exist.

Davidoff Studios Photography/Davidoff Studios Photography/Getty Images
Jeffrey Epstein’s imprisoned former girlfriend repeatedly denied to the Justice Department witnessing any sexually inappropriate interactions with Donald Trump, according to records released Friday meant to distance the Republican president from the disgraced financer.
The Trump administration issued transcripts from interviews that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche conducted with Ghislaine Maxwell last month as the administration was scrambling to present itself as transparent amid a fierce backlash over an earlier refusal to disclose a trove of records from the sex-trafficking case.
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