Behind the razor wire of her rundown Florida federal prison, Ghislaine Maxwell was always clinging to the hope that when Donald Trump was back in the White House, he’d set her free, a jailhouse source told The Post.
The disgraced British socialite — called “Max” by her fellow inmates — is still waiting.
Maxwell, 63, was convicted in 2021 for recruiting and grooming underage girls for billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019. She has served three years of a 20-year sentence.
“Max was very into her appeal,” the source at FCI Tallahassee said. “That was the biggest thing that was always happening.
“Before, she would tell everybody that she was waiting for Donald Trump to be reelected and become president, that things were going to be different then.
“Max was quite confident that things were going to change with her case.
“Freedom is 100% her focus,” the source added. “She says, ‘I will not be here in 20 years.’”
Since Trump’s election victory, the convicted sex trafficker’s legal team has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn her conviction. But Trump’s Justice Department this week defended prosecuting Maxwell, saying she was wrong to claim she was protected by the baffling sweetheart plea deal Epstein struck with the Florida feds in 2007.
Ian Maxwell, Ghislaine’s brother, believes the feds’ opposition is a positive development.
“It signals that they are in trouble and that Ghislaine’s case is legitimate,” he told Daily Mail.
Trump has backed Attorney General Pam Bondi, and demanded transparency about the Epstein case. On Friday, the Trump administration asked a Manhattan federal judge to unseal grand jury transcripts in the cases against Epstein and Maxwell.
Now the Epstein files controversy continues to build around the president, with Maxwell said to have compiled a birthday album for Epstein’s 50th in 2003, according to the Wall Street Journal. Included was a letter from Trump, allegedly featuring birthday wishes and a hand-drawn outline of a naked woman.
Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit Friday against the Journal, its owner publisher Dow Jones, and News Corp, alleging the newspaper defamed him with a false report. The Post and the Journal are both owned by News Corp.
“We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit,” a Dow Jones spokesperson responded.
Maxwell continues to speak to her lawyers by phone every day — and is seen constantly scribbling in her journal, according to the jailhouse source.
“She documents absolutely everything, and she carries it with her,” the source said.
“I don’t know if she’s going to use the journal for something someday or if she’s going to get out and write a book.
“But she has got documentation in case something happens.”
The daughter of late British media tycoon Robert Maxwell has said she’s willing to testify before Congress on Epstein’s apparent full client list, which authorities have said does not exist.
Oddly, she never speaks about her late pedophile paramour.
“She never mentions Epstein inside,” the source said. “She mentioned to people, though . . . how she was at Chelsea Clinton’s wedding.”
Behind bars, Maxwell appears to have carved out a structured routine — working in the law library, teaching a business class, yoga and Pilates, while staying fit.
Recent photos showed Maxwell jogging behind razor wire in gray sweats, her brunette hair coiffed and colored.
One Christmas, inmates reportedly created a song mocking her compulsive “documenting” habits and frequent complaints about staff and conditions.
“Max is very diligent when it comes to that, but with the complaining, the officers don’t take kindly to that, and sometimes, if there were a complaint, people would instantly assume it was Max,” the source said.
“Once they instantly started screaming through the place that she was awful and created a whole song about her that they would sing constantly in the unit.
“But Max is a person who likes to listen and say, shut the f–k up.”
“She’s no wallflower,” the source said. “If someone came for her, she would go right back at them.
She’s built a small inner circle. Her closest friends include Narcy Novak — who was convicted in 2012 of orchestrating the fatal beating of her husband and mother-in-law — and a woman convicted of Medicare fraud.
“She had that pretty small group, and they would take turns as the orderly at the time because being the orderly gave access to a private area, like a closet.
“That’s where Novak would change because she was a bit scared sometimes, and Max was the same way and would not shower if there weren’t a lot of people.
“Max would just skip showers and was very cognizant of her surroundings, so if she were susceptible or in a vulnerable situation, she definitely would watch out for herself.
“The staff also weren’t fond of her because of who she was and her notoriety, so it caused extra issues for them, and they probably treated her a little harsher.
“It was the same with inmates, as some wanted to get in her face.”
Ian Maxwell appears to be afraid of what will happen to his sister if she stays inside.
“It’s a possibility someone might get to her. I don’t want to be dramatic but you can’t discount it. Look what happened to Epstein,” he told Daily Mail.
But on his sister’s release, he comes off as positive and fully believes “my sister is innocent and that she will be released some day in the future.”
Prison consultant Holli Coulman said Maxwell — like any inmate serving a long sentence– is just as optimistic.
“Ghislaine has that hope that she won’t be facing a life sentence,” said Coulman, of Wall Street Prison Consultants. “She believes she will be able to get out in the next couple of years or even months. Ghislaine’s mind is focused on, ‘This is not a life sentence for me.’”
Or maybe it is.
“There have been no discussions or consideration of a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, and there never will be,” a senior White House official told The Post.
