An artist who twice urged federal authorities to investigate Donald Trump’s connection to Jeffrey Epstein has accused the president of “lying” over his denial of being present at Epstein’s New York office in the 1990s. Maria Farmer, one of the first women to report Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell for sexual abuse, has described a disturbing 1995 encounter involving Trump when she was 25 years old and working for Epstein.
Farmer claims she was summoned to Epstein’s office late one evening. While waiting outside the office in exercise shorts, she says she noticed Trump approach. “He walked up a few feet from me and just stood over me in a very imposing way,” she said. “And he looked at me like he was in on some secret or something. It was really weird, like smirking. And I felt threatened.”
According to Farmer, she reacted by making a face, prompting Trump to retreat. Moments later, Epstein appeared and, addressing Trump, reportedly said: “Oh no, she’s not here for you, follow me.” Farmer recalled the comment left her uneasy: “Was there someone there, in that other room?”
As Trump walked into the adjacent room, Farmer claims she heard him mutter: “Oh, I thought she was 16.” Her response: “I thought it was rude, it doesn’t matter what age I was, it was rude.” In response, Trump’s spokesperson Steven Cheung denied the account: “The President was never in Epstein’s office, and in fact, the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep.”
The farmer stood firm. “He’s lying,” she said. “They’re being disrespectful to the fact that I have given up my entire life for this case, just to have it investigated. I’m really sorry for him, that he’s caught… but he’s lying, I don’t appreciate it.” She added, “He was absolutely at the offices, it was 9 o’clock at night, and I thought it was inappropriate.
But also, they were best friends at the time.” Farmer’s comments come amid renewed attention to Trump’s past remarks. In a 2006 Howard Stern Show interview, Trump said: “If I weren’t married, I’d be able to get… all the girls I want,” and when asked about dating young women, replied, “Oh, absolutely. I have no trouble.”
Farmer also told CNN that Epstein “bragged” about his post-divorce friendship with Trump: “In the divorce, I inherited Trump and Ghislaine inherited Ivana.” Maria and her sister Annie were the first to report Epstein to authorities in 1996.
Farmer has since filed a lawsuit against the federal government, alleging it failed to protect her and others. Despite her claims, Trump has not been accused of any crimes related to Epstein and has never been identified as the subject of an investigation.
Trump’s old comments about dating young girls have been circulating online after The Wall Street Journal published fresh details about his relationship with Epstein, who allegedly sexually abused underage girls as young as 11 in his sex-trafficking ring.