Photo: Alamy
First Lady Melania Trump appeared at the White House on Thursday, where she delivered brief remarks on a surprising subject: Jeffrey Epstein.
“The lies linking me to the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said, speaking succinctly.
She continued, “The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility, and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.”
Mrs. Trump said she was never friends with the late disgraced Epstein, a financier who is now defined by his legacy of sex abuse and trafficking, and who ran in the circles of the world’s most powerful people. More scrutiny than ever has been placed on Epstein with the release of millions of documents from the DOJ related to the investigation of the shocking case.
“Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach,” the First Lady said in her statement. “…To be clear, I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice, Maxwell. My email reply to Maxwell cannot be categorized as anything more than casual correspondence. My polite reply to her email does not amount to anything more than a trivial note.”
It’s not entirely clear what note Mrs. Trump is referring to here, but it seems like it may have been an alleged email included in the 2026 Epstein files drop from the DOJ, which was very brief and dated back to 2002.
Mrs. Trump also said in her statement that Epstein did not introduce her to her husband, President Donald Trump. “I met my husband by chance at a New York City party in 1998,” she said.
“My name has never appeared in court documents, depositions, victim statements, or FBI interviews surrounding the Epstein matter,” she continued. “I have never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims. I was never involved in any capacity, I was not a participant, was never on Epstein’s plane, and never visited his private island. I have never been legally accused or convicted of a crime in connection with Epstein’s sex trafficking, abuse of minors, and other repulsive behavior.”
The First Lady took this moment to name several individuals whom she had legally fought after they made allegations or published claims about her relationship with Epstein. She said these entities “have been legally obligated to publicly apologize and retract their lies about me.”
Mrs. Trump also seized the opportunity to ask Congress to allow women who were allegedly victimized by Epstein to testify and share their stories.
“I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors,” she said. “Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony. Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the Congressional Record. Then and only then will we have the truth.”
The First Lady has made short work of swinging back at any allegations claiming that she was friends with Jeffrey Epstein, or that Epstein introduced her to her husband. This latest statement is her most direct yet.