Marla Maples denied that she made a comment telling a woman to keep her daughter away from President Donald Trump, The New York Times reported.
Tina Davis, who worked with Ford Models in the mid-1990s, told the outlet that her Ford booker told her to attend a Mar-a-Lago party in late 1994. She was 14 at the time, according to the outlet.
Her mother, Sandra Coleman, accompanied Davis to the event, the outlet reported. Coleman told the outlet that she ran into Maples during a trip to the bathroom. Coleman said that Maples told her, “Whatever you do, do not let her around any of these men, and especially my husband. Protect her,” The New York Times reported.
“I would always protect young women in any way I could,” Maples told the outlet. “But I am sure I didn’t specifically say that about my daughter’s father.”
Maples was married to Trump from 1993 to 1999. They share one child together, Tiffany Trump.
Why It Matters
Trump had a social connection with Jeffrey Epstein, a sex offender and disgraced financier who was found dead at age 66 in New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Trump has said that his relationship with Epstein ended years before his death.
Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
What To Know
Coleman told The New York Times that her daughter was told to “dress sexy.” Eight or nine other models came along with them on a bus to the party, the outlet reported.
Coleman said her daughter was handed a glass of champagne when they arrived at the party. Coleman took it away, but waiters kept offering more, the outlet reported.
Epstein frequently attended parties at Mar-a-Lago, The New York Times reported. A woman who said Mr. Epstein trafficked her in the late 1990s and early 2000s told the outlet that she attended at least a half dozen parties at Mar-a-Lago beginning when she was 17 and modeling in Florida, and Epstein showed up at several of them.
The New York Times said it found no evidence implicating Trump in Epstein’s abuse and trafficking of minors during an examination of the two’s history.
What People Are Saying
Sandra Coleman, in comments to The New York Times: “All the girls were really young. Some of them could have been in training bras.”
White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, in a statement to The New York Times: “This fake news story, which is not worth the paper it’s printed on, is just another stale regurgitation of decades-old false allegations against President Trump. The truth will remain the same no matter how many times The New York Times tries to change it. President Trump did nothing wrong, and he kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago for being a creep.”
What Happens Next
The Department of Justice has until December 19 to release files related to Epstein under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
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