Fact check: What did Virginia Giuffre say about Donald Trump in her Epstein deposition?

1. What Giuffre actually said under oath — the clear denial that reshaped the record

Virginia Giuffre’s deposition testimony has been repeatedly cited for one clear, consequential statement: she denied that Donald Trump flirted with her, had sex with her, or was involved in sexual encounters with any girls who were in Epstein’s network during the time she knew Epstein. That categorical denial is central to the factual record and was reported in coverage of her 2016 deposition released publicly years later ^[1]. The testimony also confirmed more prosaic facts: she worked as a locker‑room or spa attendant at Mar‑a‑Lago around 2000 and met Trump there on multiple occasions. Those work and meeting details are corroborated across her memoir and reporting but, importantly, the deposition separates attendance and acquaintance from any allegation of wrongdoing by Trump ^{[4] [1]}.

2. How Giuffre’s later memoir and public remarks added texture without changing the core denial

Giuffre’s posthumous memoir and interviews elaborate on her early life, her work at Mar‑a‑Lago, and encounters with high‑profile figures including Trump, Prince Andrew, and Ghislaine Maxwell; the memoir does not accuse Trump of sexual misconduct, instead depicting him as part of the social backdrop at Mar‑a‑Lago in 2000 ^[4]. Media summaries and her ghostwriter’s comments paint Giuffre as having viewed Trump as kind in some encounters and, at times, politically supportive because he discussed releasing Epstein files—yet none of those accounts alter the deposition’s denial of sexual contact with Trump. The memoir and publicity thus provide personal detail and context while leaving the deposition’s substance intact ^{[3] [4]}.

3. Trump’s public statements and competing narratives — “Epstein stole her” vs. family shock

Donald Trump publicly said Jeffrey Epstein “stole” workers from Mar‑a‑Lago, including Virginia Giuffre, framing Epstein as the abducting or poaching party; Trump’s description seeks to distance himself and his property from responsibility for trafficking claims tied to Epstein ^[2]. Giuffre’s family publicly expressed shock at Trump’s phrasing and demanded answers, highlighting how competing narratives—Trump’s defensive claim versus the family’s demand for accountability—have shaped public interpretation of the same events. Reporting on these exchanges does not produce new sworn allegations against Trump; instead it demonstrates how political and reputational defenses and victims’ advocates are contesting meaning around shared facts ^[5].

4. What mainstream contemporaneous reporting confirms and what remains absent

Contemporary reporting and profiles of Giuffre emphasize three verifiable elements: she worked at Mar‑a‑Lago, she met Epstein’s associates there including Ghislaine Maxwell, and she alleged sexual abuse by Epstein and others in courts and public statements. Reporting repeatedly notes the absence of an allegation that Trump sexually assaulted or trafficked Giuffre—an important negative fact. News outlets that reviewed deposition transcripts and her memoir underline that Trump appears in the background of her account rather than as an accused perpetrator, and that Trump’s own explanations of his relationship with Epstein differ from Giuffre’s recollection of events and timing ^{[6] [1] [7]}.

5. Big picture: evidence, gaps, and how different actors use the same facts

The evidentiary record centers on sworn denials of sexual contact between Giuffre and Trump, contemporaneous work ties to Mar‑a‑Lago, and consistent allegations against Epstein and certain associates; those points are corroborated across depositions, memoir, and reporting ^{[1] [4]}. The gap in the record is the lack of any sworn allegation from Giuffre accusing Trump of trafficking or sexual assault—an absence that Trump’s defenders emphasize and that survivors’ advocates note does not negate broader questions about Epstein’s network. Different actors—Trump, Giuffre’s family, journalists—use overlapping facts to advance reputational defenses or demands for accountability, but the central factual claim from Giuffre’s deposition remains: she met Trump while working at Mar‑a‑Lago and she denied that he sexually abused her ^{[2] [5] [1]}.