Survivor Condemns President's 'Incredibly Disrespectful' Remarks
Danielle Bensky, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse, has publicly condemned former US President Donald Trump for dismissing the victims' prolonged fight for transparency as a "hoax". The condemnation came shortly after Trump signed a bill to release the Epstein files, only to follow it with a social media rant accusing Democrats of weaponising the scandal.
Bensky, 39, who was abused by Epstein as a teenager, stated that the president's actions were "incredibly disrespectful" and politicised what should have been a landmark moment for survivors. "He made something very political out of something that could have been really a beautiful moment for our history and for women and for survivors everywhere," she said.
A Campaign for Accountability Undermined
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump failed to acknowledge Epstein's victims, instead focusing on attacking his political opponents and labelling the push for file release as the "latest Hoax". Bensky expressed that this undermined the tireless efforts of campaigners like Maria Farmer, Chauntae Davies, and the late Virginia Giuffre.
Bensky was part of a group of survivors who held photos of their younger selves at the US Capitol on 18 November 2025, campaigning for the files' release. Their efforts were rewarded when the bill moved through the House and Senate, before being sent to the president.
"We've put so much time and effort into talking to congressional leaders... it feels a lot like America is on our side and has really heard us," Bensky reflected. "What a beautiful moment for American democracy and instead he chooses to just make it divisive."
A Personal Story of Abuse and a Fight for Change
Bensky recounted her own harrowing experience, explaining she was a 17-year-old ballerina in 2004 when she was recruited to give Epstein massages. She was under the impression he had a medical background and could help her mother, who had a brain tumour.
"I brought my mum's scans to him and that was the day that basically everything changed," she recalled. "He leveraged the scans and he threatened me." After she turned 18, the abuse escalated to rape.
The trauma profoundly affected her life, causing her to stop dancing for a period. "I found my way back to choreography... the young girls and boys that I teach really have fuelled this fight for me because I just want to change it for them," she said.
Bensky now hopes that with the justice department having 30 days to release the remaining files, other facilitators of Epstein's abuse will be held accountable. She cited the UK's action in stripping Prince Andrew of his royal titles as a positive example of accountability that the US should follow.
"We need to see more things like that," she asserted. "I think a lot of this is really systemically rooted... making sure they're in the right people's names. It starts in very small places and then I think we can start to see real change."
