WASHINGTON — A group of survivors from Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking network made a poignant appearance at President Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday, delivering a stark reminder to the administration and lawmakers that their push for transparency and accountability remains unrelenting.
Annie Farmer, one of approximately a dozen Epstein survivors in attendance, emphasized the group's determination in an interview with the New York Post. “We’re not going away,” she said, underscoring their presence as a call for the full release of Epstein-related files and deeper investigations into the financier's enablers.
The survivors, including Annie and her sister Maria Farmer, were both victims of abuse by Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell in the 1990s. Maria Farmer, who was hired by Epstein to assist with art purchases, reported him to the FBI in 1996 for possessing child pornography, according to her account. She alleged that federal authorities took no action at the time, a claim that has fueled ongoing criticism of law enforcement's handling of early leads in the case.
Maria Farmer also described being sexually assaulted by Epstein and Maxwell. In May, she filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, and the FBI, accusing them of negligence and causing her emotional distress. The suit highlights what she and others see as systemic failures that allowed Epstein's operation to persist for decades.
Annie Farmer provided public testimony during Maxwell's 2021 trial, detailing her experience at age 16 at Epstein's ranch in New Mexico. She recounted how Maxwell gave her a nude massage and groped her, followed by Epstein entering her bed to “cuddle,” as she described it. These accounts, central to Maxwell's conviction on sex-trafficking charges, continue to drive the survivors' advocacy for broader disclosures.
Speaking to the New York Post after the State of the Union event, Annie Farmer called for the release of all remaining Epstein files. “I would hope that people would follow up on these investigative leads so that we could get true accountability and also just a sense of connecting the dots and understanding for ourselves, what happened here, what went wrong, why was this allowed to go on for so long,” she said.
The sentiment was echoed by Lauren Hersh, co-founder of World Without Exploitation, the nation's largest anti-trafficking coalition, which collaborated with victims to lobby lawmakers for the Epstein files' release. Hersh noted that the Department of Justice has acknowledged possessing about six million files related to the case, with only roughly three million made public so far. “So, we want the last half or so of the files to be released,” she told the New York Post.
Hersh had hoped Trump might acknowledge the attending victims during his nearly two-hour speech, which drew record viewership. However, the primary goal, she said, was to maintain pressure on officials. The group's attendance served as a visible protest amid Trump's address, which focused on economic achievements and policy priorities but did not touch on the Epstein matter.
“We have not seen any sort of meaningful investigation into the leads that currently exist in the Epstein Files that have been released, and it seems to me that there are a number of places to initiate investigation,” Hersh said.
The Epstein scandal, which implicated numerous high-profile figures, has seen renewed scrutiny in recent weeks. Overseas, arrests have escalated the fallout: disgraced former Prince Andrew of Britain and Lord Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the United States, were taken into custody in connection with Epstein, according to reports from international outlets. These developments contrast sharply with the response in the U.S., where consequences have been more subdued.
In the United States, the repercussions have primarily involved resignations and apologies rather than criminal charges for many associates. Former Harvard President Larry Summers announced he would fully resign his professorship due to his past ties to Epstein, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. Similarly, billionaire Bill Gates issued a public apology for his association with the financier, acknowledging the relationship in statements covered by major publications.
Hersh expressed skepticism about the depth of these accountability measures. “We have to be critical of what type of accountability they are really receiving,” she said. “They may be stepping down from one position but still in a position of power, still in the company, still receiving a large salary.” Her comments reflect a broader frustration among advocates that symbolic gestures fall short of the systemic reforms needed.
The survivors' attendance at the State of the Union comes at a pivotal moment, nearly two decades after Epstein's initial 2008 plea deal in Florida, which many criticized as lenient. That non-prosecution agreement shielded co-conspirators and drew lawsuits challenging its validity. Epstein's 2019 arrest and subsequent death in custody, ruled a suicide, only intensified demands for transparency, leading to the partial unsealing of documents in subsequent years.
Maxwell, sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 for her role in recruiting and grooming underage girls, remains a focal point of the saga. Yet survivors like the Farmers argue that the network extended far beyond her, involving Epstein's connections in finance, politics, and academia. The unreleased files, they contend, hold keys to identifying additional perpetrators and understanding institutional lapses.
As Trump's second term begins, the Epstein case intersects with ongoing debates over justice reform and elite accountability. Advocacy groups like World Without Exploitation continue to press Congress for legislation mandating full disclosure, citing the files' potential to aid other trafficking investigations. While the administration has not publicly responded to Tuesday's demonstration, the survivors' message resonates amid a political landscape increasingly attuned to issues of corruption and victim rights.
Annie Farmer reiterated the persistence of their cause in her Post interview: the “story isn’t going away.” With international arrests mounting and domestic calls for probes growing, the pressure on U.S. authorities shows no signs of abating, potentially shaping future legislative and investigative priorities.