At a White House briefing on 12 November 2025, Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary to US President Donald Trump, reaffirmed his innocence amid revelations tied to Jeffrey Epstein. This has prompted immediate backlash from sexual-abuse survivors and advocacy groups who say her stance signals a betrayal of women and survivors.
Leavitt's Defence of Trump Amid Epstein Revelations
Leavitt mounted a vigorous defence of Trump following the release of newly disclosed emails allegedly exchanged between Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, in which the disgraced financier referred to Trump as 'the dog that hasn't barked'.
During the briefing, she described the documents as a 'distraction campaign' by Democrats and claimed the administration 'has done more with respect to transparency when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein than any administration ever'.
Leavitt contended that the late victim referenced in the emails was Virginia Giuffre, who she asserted had previously stated that Trump 'couldn't have been friendlier' in their limited interactions.
At the same time, she rejected demands for further file releases, framing them as politically motivated rather than rooted in victim justice.
Survivor Voices and Outrage From Women's Advocates
But the response from survivors has been startlingly direct. As Liz Stein, a known Epstein survivor, told reporters, 'It's not new information to any of us ... To politicise this at this moment feels particularly hurtful to the survivors'.
Another press conference, held on 3 September 2025, saw women victimised by Epstein and Maxwell appeal directly to Trump and Congress, 'This is not a hoax. It's not going to go away'.
Advocates argue that Leavitt's framing of a woman defending a figure accused in these documents constitutes a grave disservice to the many female victims. One media commentator described male politicians' defence of Trump in this context as 'unbelievable' given the trauma survivors face.
Further, Giuffre's family has stressed their late relative had fought for full transparency in the Epstein investigation, undermining claims by the administration that the matter is settled.
The Broader Political and Gender Implications
Leavitt's posture carries broader implications for gender politics. Her position implicitly asks women to align with the political defence of a man under scrutiny for alleged complicity in sex-trafficking networks. That request is casting ripples across both sides of the aisle.
The optics are particularly fraught given that the Epstein case centred on the exploitation of young women and girls. By choosing to defend Trump so vehemently, Leavitt has placed herself in the cross-hairs of gender-justice advocates who say this undermines the credibility of women victims.
Meanwhile, Trump's underlying defence strategy continues to hinge on dismissing the case as a 'hoax' perpetrated by his political opponents, a position Leavitt echoed.
At a fundamental level, this debate forces a question, when a woman publicly champions a powerful man accused of defending or enabling abuse, does the act itself confer legitimacy on the accused or inevitably tarnish the standing of women-victims and their fight for justice?
Survivors insist that full release of the files remains necessary for accountability. Without that, they warn, public trust in justice will erode further.
For Leavitt, the defence is risky. Framing the case as a distraction moment may align with political rhetoric, but it places her in direct conflict with survivors and gender-rights advocates, and that backlash may echo beyond this week's news cycle.
For women in the public sphere, especially those asked to advocate or defend powerful men, this moment offers a stark caution, gender identity alone does not shield one from criticism when the moral stakes are so high.
And for the victims of Epstein's crimes, the rush to politicise their trauma risks overshadowing the human harm at the heart of the scandal.
