He Says He Never Went to Epstein’s Island—But Now Trump’s Not Ruling Out a Pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell and Survivors Are Furious

Imagine surviving something as dark and soul-shattering as sex trafficking… and then hearing that one of the most powerful men in the world might pardon the woman who helped make it happen.

That’s the storm brewing right now around Ghislaine Maxwell — and the man at the center of it? Donald Trump.

During a press conference in Scotland on Monday, when asked point-blank if he’d consider pardoning Maxwell — the longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, now serving a 20-year sentence — Trump didn’t shut the idea down. He never actually said no. What he did say was:
“I have the power to pardon her… but no one’s mentioned it to me yet.”

Then, as casually as if someone had asked him about the weather, he brushed it aside:
“Right now, it wouldn’t be right for me to comment on that.”

For survivors of Epstein’s abuse ring, those words hit like a gut punch.

Maxwell wasn’t just some passive assistant. Women like Annie Farmer and Teresa Helm — who bravely came forward — say she was deeply involved in the abuse itself. They say a pardon wouldn’t just be unjust… it would be devastating.

“She didn’t just recruit girls,” Farmer said. “She abused them.”

Trump maintains he never set foot on Epstein’s notorious private island, even though he admits they were friends for years. According to him, their falling out wasn’t over the disturbing allegations — it was because Epstein “poached” employees from Mar-a-Lago.

He even added, in what felt like a self-congratulatory aside, “In one of my very good moments, I turned down the invitation to that island.”

That may be true. But the fact remains — the idea of even considering clemency for a convicted sex trafficker has people reeling. Survivors, lawmakers, and advocates are calling it a line that simply can’t be crossed.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, was blunt and straightforward: “She deserves at least a life sentence.”

Trump, on the other hand? He’s leaving the door cracked open.

And sometimes, it’s not the words themselves—but the pause, the hesitation—that says the most.

Because sometimes, it’s not just what a leader does that tells us who they are.
It’s what they refuse to say.