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UNITED STATES First Lady Melania Trump has firmly denied any connection to Jeffrey Epstein, insisting she was never a victim of the disgraced financier and rejecting online speculation linking her to him or to how she met her husband, President Donald Trump.
Speaking at the White House, she said she first met Donald Trump at a party in New York in 1998, and separately encountered Epstein two years later at an event attended with him.
She dismissed claims circulating online that Epstein had introduced her to her future husband.
“Lies linking me to Jeffrey Epstein, which are shameful, must stop today,” AFP cited her saying while reading a prepared statement and declining to take questions from reporters.
“I am not a victim of Epstein,” she added.
The unusually public statement, delivered in the White House lobby under the official presidential seal, has renewed attention on the Epstein case, which has repeatedly resurfaced as a political issue in Washington and has at times strained the Trump administration.
Melania Trump called on Congress to hold public hearings so that Epstein’s victims could testify under oath, a move that could intensify scrutiny of the case at a time when President Trump has sought to downplay it.
She said she had never had a relationship with Epstein or with his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in connection with his crimes, adding that any contact had been incidental.
Melania said she first “crossed paths” with Epstein in 2000 at an event she attended with Donald Trump, five years before their marriage, and insisted she was unaware of his criminal conduct at the time.
“At that time, I had never met Epstein and was unaware of his criminal activities,” she said.
Epstein, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to state prostitution-related charges involving a minor and later faced federal sex trafficking charges in 2019, died in custody in what authorities ruled a suicide.
“I have never been friends with Epstein,” Melania said.
She added that she and Donald Trump were occasionally invited to the same social events due to overlapping circles in New York and Palm Beach.
“Donald and I were sometimes invited to the same parties as Epstein because overlapping social circles are common in New York and Palm Beach,” she said.
The First Lady also declined earlier this year to answer questions regarding Epstein’s victims during a public event.
The issue has remained politically sensitive for President Trump, who has previously acknowledged knowing Epstein but said they severed ties in the early 2000s.
A White House adviser, Marc Beckman, said Melania decided to speak out now because “enough is enough” and insisted the allegations must stop.
“The First Lady Melania Trump is speaking out now because enough is enough. The lies must stop,” he said.
A spokesperson added that senior officials in the Trump administration had been informed of her decision to issue the statement.
Political analysts noted the rarity of a First Lady directly addressing such a controversy from the White House lobby, describing the move as highly unusual in modern US politics.
Melania also said she had no substantive ties to Epstein or Maxwell, characterising past correspondence as casual and insignificant. She further clarified an email previously cited in public debate as merely a “light exchange” and “a trivial note”.
Polls by Reuters/Ipsos indicate sustained public concern over the handling of Epstein-related files, with a majority of Americans believing that key information has not been fully disclosed.
Survivors of Epstein’s abuse have meanwhile rejected calls for further public hearings, arguing that extensive testimony has already been provided and urging authorities to proceed with legal accountability instead. - April 10, 2026