A former fashion model has shared new details about how Jeffrey Epstein tried to impress Donald Trump in the 1990s. Cleo Glyde told The Daily Beast Podcast that Epstein once insisted she wear a nurse-like outfit for a visit to Trump Tower.
Glyde met Epstein when she was 22 years old through a mutual friend. At the time, she said he seemed charming, mysterious, and socially powerful, more like James Bond than a future criminal.
She explained that Epstein often bragged about his friendship with Trump, who at that time was one of New York’s most famous real estate moguls. The men frequently appeared together at parties and social events.
Glyde said she once wore a white wraparound dress, which Epstein compared to a nurse’s uniform. He then suggested she and her friend dress alike and accompany him to meet Trump.
“He said, ‘Why don’t we go over to Donald’s place at Trump Tower, you both look like nurses, and it’ll be hilarious,’” Glyde recalled during the interview.
When the group arrived at Trump Tower, Glyde said Trump greeted them warmly and laughed at their appearance. She felt Epstein was showing off both his friends and his closeness to Trump.
“Donald smiled and laughed. He seemed entertained, not threatening,” she said. “Jeffrey was clearly proud to walk in with us dressed like that.”
Trump himself once described Epstein positively. In a 2002 New York Magazine interview, he called Epstein a “terrific guy” who liked beautiful women, many of them “on the younger side.”
Their relationship later changed. By 2004, Trump claimed he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago after an incident involving a young employee, though reports differ on the details.
During the podcast, Glyde also shared more troubling experiences. She described how Epstein once groped her on his private jet, an encounter that caused her to cry and distance herself from him.
She said Epstein stopped when she asked why he was behaving that way, but she no longer felt safe around him. After another unsettling visit to his Manhattan townhouse, she ended their friendship.
Cleo Glyde walks the runway at Paris Fashion Week in July 1989. She later met Jeffrey Epstein at age 22. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Glyde is not the first woman to link Trump and Epstein in uncomfortable ways. Stacey Williams, another former model, said last month on the same podcast that Trump touched her inappropriately in front of Epstein during a meeting. Her account was published under the headline “Trump Brazenly Preyed On Me as Epstein Watched: Model” and highlighted how the incident happened in plain sight.
The White House dismissed Glyde’s testimony as “a hoax,” claiming it was part of an effort by Democrats to smear Trump. A spokesperson said Trump had always pushed for transparency around Epstein.
“This is just more stupid, fake news playing into the hands of Democrats trying to link the president to Epstein,” the statement said. “Trump is delivering thousands of pages of documents.”
The defense comes after Speaker Mike Johnson claimed Trump acted as an FBI informant on Epstein. Johnson said Trump provided information to investigators, a claim that has since fueled debate in Washington.
The new claims arrive at a time when Congress is under pressure to release more Epstein files. Both Democrats and Republicans have urged for transparency, while victims continue to demand accountability.
Epstein was found dead in a Manhattan jail in 2019, with a Department of Justice investigation ruling his death a suicide. Glyde told the podcast she doubts that conclusion and believes powerful people remain unexposed.
“There is no way we know everything about who was involved,” she said. “There are still names and roles that have never been made public.”
The controversy has reignited attention on old photos of Trump with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, including well-known images from Mar-a-Lago in 2000 that show the men together.
Police evidence has also resurfaced. A video shows nude photos in Epstein’s Palm Beach lair, which investigators described as unnerving.
Coincidentally, a victim press event this week was interrupted when Trump staged a loud flyover. The sound drowned out Epstein survivor Chauntae Davies as she spoke about Epstein’s “biggest brag” being his friendship with Trump.
Glyde’s story, now nearly 30 years old, adds another layer to the complex history of Trump’s ties to Epstein. It also raises questions about how those relationships may have shaped politics today.
