President Donald Trump snapped at CNN senior White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins on Tuesday after she pressed him about a new claim he made on Air Force One.
On the flight back from his Scotland sojourn, Trump claimed that Virginia Giuffre—one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims—was among the women the disgraced financier had “stolen” from the spa at Mar‑a‑Lago.
After landing in Washington, Collins asked the president whether the alleged theft “raised alarm bells” for him at the time.
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“Mr. President, you said Jeffrey Epstein was stealing young women from your spa. Did that raise alarm bells for you?” she asked.
The president appeared annoyed that Collins was speaking while another reporter was asking a question.
As he tried to listen to the other question, Trump interrupted sharply: “Be quiet!”
When Collins repeated the question, Trump again replied: “Be quiet!”
After Collins asked a third time, the Office of the President staff cleared the way, and the president departed without further response.
Earlier—on the plane—Trump had said: “I think she worked at the spa… he stole her… and by the way, she had no complaints about us, as you know.”
Collins also asked whether Epstein’s convicted conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell had requested a pardon or immunity in exchange for testifying. Trump declined to address the question.
“The concept of taking people that work for me is bad,” he had told reporters as he jetted back to the U.S. from his Scotland trip.
After all, he continued, they were working at “one of the best spas in the world” at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump was asked if one of these workers was Virginia Giuffre. “I think she worked at the spa,” he answered. “I think that was one of the people. He stole her.”
Giuffre was just 17 in 2000 when she was working as a spa assistant at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club. Court filings show the teenager was paid $1,866.50 by the resort.
In April, Giuffre died by suicide at her home in Western Australia.
“Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors. Despite all the adversity she faced in her life, she shone so bright. She will be missed beyond measure,” her family said in a statement.
If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing or texting 988.
