The Mar-a-Lago Break: Inside the Trump–Epstein Fallout According To The WSJ (1/1/26)

The Wall Street Journal published an exclusive account revealing what it says was the specific incident that led Donald Trump to ban Jeffrey Epstein from Mar-a-Lago’s spa in 2003. According to the report, Mar-a-Lago had been sending spa employees to provide services at Epstein’s nearby Palm Beach mansion for years, even as staff privately warned one another about Epstein’s increasingly inappropriate behavior. The practice continued until an 18-year-old beautician returned from a house call and reported that Epstein had pressured her for sex; a manager then sent Trump a fax about the allegation, and Trump responded by ordering Epstein banned from the club’s spa. The Journal’s account also notes that Epstein wasn’t a formal club member yet was treated “like one” on Trump’s instruction.


The report situates that episode as the first clear break in Trump and Epstein’s relationship, though the two continued to be seen together socially for a time afterward. Mar-a-Lago staffers told the WSJ that Epstein’s companion Ghislaine Maxwell regularly coordinated the spa visits — including recruiting young employees — and that concerns about Epstein’s conduct were known internally before the 2003 complaint. Trump’s current White House has disparaged the WSJ story as politically motivated, with spokespeople saying he acted appropriately in banning Epstein for alleged misconduct toward employees.


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New report digs in on details of the incident that reportedly caused Trump to ban Epstein from Mar-a-Lago | The Independent