Marla Maples' chilling Epstein warning as she feared his growing sway over Trump
Maples told Mar-a-Lago employees at the time that something about Epstein was 'wrong' and 'off,' adding that she worried about his influence over Trump.
By PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER
Published: 17:05 GMT, 31 December 2025 | Updated: 19:56 GMT, 31 December 2025
Donald Trump's second wife Marla Maples raised concerns about Jeffrey Epstein's presence at Mar-a-Lago years before his pedophilia became widely known, according to a bombshell report.
She reportedly had 'widely shared' misgivings about the disgraced financier after the Palm Beach estate opened in 1995 - years before a 2003 complaint by a teenage spa worker led Donald Trump to ban him from the club.
Epstein had attended the couple's 1993 wedding at the Plaza Hotel, but Maples reportedly told employees at the time that something about him was 'wrong' and 'off,' adding that she worried about his influence over Trump, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Former staff said Maples, an actress who was married to the President until 1999, did not want to spend time with Epstein and did not want Trump to either.
They added that Maple's comments were out of character because she reportedly rarely spoke ill of anyone to Trump's employees at the time.
The Journal's report comes amid scrutiny over Trump's relationship with the disgraced financier after the Justice Department began releasing new Epstein documents to the public.
Epstein, a frequent visitor to Mar-a-Lago during the late 1990s and early 2000s, often requested the club's spa employees to visit his nearby Palm Beach mansion for massages, manicures and other services.
Although Epstein was not an official member of the club, Trump told the staff to treat him like one, according to the WSJ report.
Donald Trump and Marla Maples at the 1992 Soap Opera Digest Awards in Beverly Hills
Jeffrey Epstein's madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, would schedule his massage appointment with staff at Mar-a-Lago
Epstein had attended Trump and Maples's 1993 wedding at the Plaza Hotel
The house calls to Epstein's mansion continued for years even as rumors swirled among spa employees about how he would expose himself during appointments.
Former staff claimed that Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former madam, who is now imprisoned in Texas, would schedule his spa appointments.
However, Epstein's relationship with Trump would turn sour in 2003 after an 18-year-old beautician reported to her superiors that Epstein pressured her for sex during an appointment.
A spa manager faxed Trump with the allegations and requested he ban Epstein from the club.