Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have criticised President Donald Trump ahead of his State of the Union address, saying he is aware they are watching and will not be dismissed. Speaking at a press conference on Capitol Hill organised by the Democratic Women's Caucus, several of the women who will attend the address as guests of Democratic lawmakers demanded accountability.
Teresa Helm, an Epstein survivor, said the group was there to represent human dignity and justice. She added that the biggest violation so far had been survivors being further exposed, with their names and personal details released while many powerful alleged co-conspirators remained redacted. The comments come after the release of files related to Epstein's trafficking operation, which Mr Trump has previously dismissed as a 'Democrat hoax' and 'total bulls***'.
Among those attending the address will be Haley Robson, invited by Representative Ro Khanna, and Annie Farmer, invited by Representative Robert Garcia. Farmer criticised the Department of Justice for doubling down on denial and distraction rather than apologising for releasing victims' names and images. Sky Roberts, a family member of the late Virginia Giuffre, said the moment could not be reduced to a media cycle, adding: 'The only thing more powerful than hate is love. This is not going away.'
Several survivors also took aim at FBI Director Kash Patel, with Dani Besky questioning why he was 'partying like a college kid' at the Olympics instead of investigating. The women have previously lobbied for legislation to release the files, which passed the House almost unanimously and was backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Lisa Phillips, who will attend in place of Representative Maxine Dexter, said she hoped Mr Trump would acknowledge them but expected the same behaviour as before.
Many Democrats have said they will boycott the speech, but the survivors insisted their presence mattered. 'Whether he addresses us or not, he knows we're there,' said Jess Michaels. 'We are not letting this administration off the hook, and we're not going anywhere.' Mr Trump and Epstein were friends for years, but no evidence has emerged that the president committed any wrongdoing.
