Donald Trump seems to be staying loyal to his former friend Ghislaine Maxwell, as she’s behind bars following her arrest for allegedly helping her late boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls and young women. In a July 21 press briefing about the COVID-19 pandemic, the president said that he “wished her well,” as Maxwell sits in a New York jail cell with no bail. Trump went without a face mask as he went before reporters, where he gave the surprising answer that he hasn’t been following Ghislaine’s arrest and court appearances too closely.
Trump on Ghislaine Maxwell: I just wish her well frankly. I’ve met her numerous times over the years especially since I lived in Palm Beach and I guess they lived in Palm Beach but I wish her well pic.twitter.com/wCfzsZfjTT
— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) July 21, 2020
“Ghislaine Maxwell is in prison and a lot of people want to know if she’s going to turn in powerful people. I know you talked in the past about Prince Andrew and you criticized Bill Clinton‘s behavior. I’m wondering, do you feel she’s going to turn in powerful men? How do you see that working out?” a reporter asked Trump. He calmly responded, “I don’t know. I haven’t really been following it too much. I just wish her well frankly.” Maxwell and Epstein were social friends with Trump and wife Melania, and the foursome was photographed during parties at his Palm Beach estate Mar-A-Lago, not far from where Epstein lived.
Trump continued, “I’ve met her numerous times over the years especially since I lived in Palm Beach and I guess they lived in Palm Beach, but I wish her well whatever it is.” Folks on Twitter immediately began posting photos of Trump smiling with Epstein and Maxwell at various parties and joking about Trump’s claims that he wasn’t that close with the late secretive billionaire. One Twitter user @SicAndTirade noted, “Trump suggested he met Ghislaine Maxwell many times in Palm Beach. But below are three separate photo ops from 1997, 2000, and 2002 in New York” with these photos. showing Trump socializing with Ghislaine in NYC.
I don't know them well, I guess she lived in Palm Beach and I lived in Palm beach. pic.twitter.com/4OqaUkWh2T
— President elect Joe Biden 🏴☠️🌊 (@rob13567) July 21, 2020
“I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach, too…”
As if he hadn’t been documented DOZENS of times clearly well acquainted, even chummy, with them both…. especially while ogling young women. https://t.co/lnX8YtwOVL
— SFUrbanist 🌊 (@SFUrbanist) July 21, 2020
Trump added, “I don’t know the situation with Prince Andrew. I just don’t know. Not aware of it,” when it came to Ghislaine’s arrest. While the president may claim to not be aware of the current situation with Queen Elizabeth‘s son, he’s previously joked about the royal’s alleged visits to Epstein’s private Caribbean island, where the secretive billionaire allegedly flew in underage girls for sex parties.
“That island was an absolute cesspool, there’s no question about it,” Trump told reporters in a 2015 video clip shared on July 17 by the UK’s Sun newspaper. “Just ask Prince Andrew,” the 74-year-old said with a slight grin, “He’ll tell you about it. The island was an absolute cesspool.” The FBI has been wanting to talk to the 60-year-old British royal about allegations that he had sex with then-17-year-old Virginia Roberts, who Maxwell hired to work as a masseuse for Epstein, but has alleged that the couple sex trafficked her among their rich and powerful pals.
Ghislaine was arrested on July 2 by FBI agents at a secluded home in New Hampshire. She had disappeared following her longtime lover and convicted sex offender Jeffrey’s alleged suicide while behind bars in his New York Metropolitan Correctional Center jail cell on August 10, 2019. The 58-year-old socialite is currently being held in a federal detention Center in Brooklyn, after a judge denied bail by deeming Ghislaine a flight risk.
The British-born Maxwell is facing six counts, including conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. She’s also facing two perjury counts related to a 2016 deposition she gave in a case related to Epstein. Her trial is expected to begin in July 2021.
As for the reason Trump held the news conference in the first, place, he said of the COVID-19 pandemic, “It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better, something I don’t like saying about things but that’s the way it is.” Despite finally conceding to CDC recommendations and finally wearing a face mask recently after refusing to use the protective gear since March, Trump went without a mask for his coronavirus press conference. But he did say, “I’m getting used to the mask. And the reason is, think about patriotism, adding, “Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact. And we need everything we can get.”