(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump has provided his most direct explanation yet for cutting ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, claiming their fallout stemmed from Epstein “stealing” his employees.

Speaking during a trip to Scotland on Monday, Trump told reporters:

“For years, I wouldn’t talk to Jeffrey Epstein. I wouldn’t talk because he did something that was inappropriate. He hired [my] help, and I said: ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ He stole people that worked for me. I said: ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ He did it again. And I threw him out of the place—persona non grata.”

Trump added, “I’m glad I did, if you want to know the truth,” while speaking at one of his golf resorts.

Trump and Epstein were previously known to be acquaintances in elite social circles during the 1990s and early 2000s. Epstein later became infamous after being convicted of sex trafficking. He died in a New York jail in 2019 under circumstances officially ruled as suicide, though speculation continues.

Trump has faced criticism from both Democrats and some supporters for not declassifying the full criminal file on Epstein. When asked about the potential pardon of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in the trafficking network, Trump said:

“I’m allowed to give her a pardon. But nobody’s approached me with it, nobody’s asked me about it. It’s in the news... But right now, it would be inappropriate to talk about it.”

Maxwell reportedly met twice last week with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in interviews totaling nine hours. She was said to have received limited immunity while answering questions about as many as 100 individuals. The Justice Department has not disclosed details.

Trump also denied reports from a news agency that he once sent Epstein a drawing of a nude woman as a birthday gift and reiterated that he never visited Epstein’s private island.

MENAFN30072025000045017281ID1109861741