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President Donald Trump inviting former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor, a registered sex offender, to the White House on Thursday has garnered controversy.

Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via an email sent outside regular business hours.

Why It Matters

Taylor has appeared on stage with Trump at campaign rallies in the past. But his attendance at the White House on Thursday comes as Trump faces increasing pressure over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who authorities say died by suicide in a federal jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The president is facing an outcry over his administration’s refusal to release additional records related to Epstein, despite earlier promises of transparency. He has tried to deflect questions about the case, expressing annoyance that people are still talking about it even as some of his allies continue to promote conspiracy theories about it.

President Donald Trump listens as former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor speaks during an executive order signing ceremony in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 31, 2025. President Donald Trump listens as former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor speaks during an executive order signing ceremony in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 31, 2025. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Trump told reporters this week that Epstein “stole” Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most well-known accusers, from his Mar-a-Lago club, where she worked in the summer of 2000 when she was 16. That raised questions, including from Giuffre’s family, about how much Trump knew about Epstein’s crimes given he continued to associate with Epstein after 2000. Trump said on Thursday that he didn’t know why Epstein was taking young employees from Mar-a-Lago, and that it caused him to cut ties and ban Epstein from the club.

What To Know

Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to reestablish the Presidential Fitness Test for American children and reinvigorate a national sports council.

Taylor and other figures from the sports world, including pro golfer Bryson DeChambeau and Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker joined Trump in the Roosevelt Room of the White House to become formal members of the council, known as the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.

Taylor was arrested in 2010 on rape and prostitution charges in connection with the assault of a 16-year-old girl. He pleaded guilty in 2011 to misdemeanor charges of sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute, was sentenced to six years of probation and ordered to register as a sex offender.

He was arrested in 2021 in Broward County, Florida, and charged with failing to report a change of residence as a sex offender. He later pleaded no contest to an amended charge and the case was closed. He was again arrested and charged with failing to report a residence change as a sex offender in July 2024, but prosecutors closed the case a few weeks later.

Taylor’s presence at the White House sparked a backlash on social media.

“Trump literally had Lawrence Taylor, a registered sex offender who raped a 16-year-old, featured at the White House as he announced his ‘President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition’ initiative for kids,” social media personality Brian Krassenstein wrote on X, formerly Twitter. He described this as “Sickening!”

What People Are Saying

Taylor said during Thursday’s executive order signing: “I’m just proud to be on this team. I don’t know why, I don’t know what we’re supposed to be doing, but I’m here to serve and I’m here to serve you. So I’m going to do the best I can for as long as I can.”

Trump said on Thursday about Taylor: “Acknowledged to be the greatest defensive player in the history of the NFL, a friend of mine for a long time. Too long, right Lawrence? Lawrence Taylor, he’s an incredible guy and just been my friend a long time. Knew him forever.”

Asked if he knew why Epstein was taking young women from Mar-a-Lago at the White House on Thursday, Trump said: “No, I don’t know really why, but I said, if he’s taken anybody from Mar-a-Lago, he’s hiring or whatever he’s doing, I didn’t like it. And we threw him out.”

Julie Roginsky, a former Fox News and CNBC contributor and co-founder of the nonprofit Lift Our Voices, wrote on X: “Lawrence Taylor is a registered sex offender who was arrested for sexually assaulting a young girl. Someone needs to ask MAGA why Trump hangs out with so many child predators.”

MSNBC host Chris Hayes wrote on X: “On the day Virginia Giuffre’s family is speaking out about how survivors are treated like trash, here’s who’s in the White House.”

Tara Setmayer, a former GOP communications director, wrote on X: “Trump sure does like to hang out with sex offenders caught with underage girls. Add Lawrence Taylor to the list.”

What’s Next

Trump is likely to continue facing questions about the Epstein case.

This story includes reporting from The Associated Press.