USA's first lady; Melania Trump on Epstein Files

On April 9, 2026, First Lady Melania Trump delivered a surprise six-minute statement from the White House to address long-standing speculation regarding her ties to Jeffrey Epstein. In the rare address, she explicitly denied any meaningful connection to the late sex offender, describing various claims as "mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation"

Key Denials and Clarifications

Melania Trump sought to "end today" what she called "baseless lies" linking her to Epstein: 

• No Relationship: She stated she was never friends with Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell and only briefly "crossed paths" with them in social settings in 2000.
• Meeting Donald Trump: She denied that Epstein introduced her to the President, asserting that she met him by chance at a New York City party in 1998.
• No Knowledge of Crimes: She declared she was unaware of Epstein’s abuse of victims and was "not a participant" in any capacity.
• Specific Denials: She emphasized that she was never on Epstein's private plane and never visited his private island.

Response to Released Files

Addressing details found in the released Epstein files (often referred to as the "Epstein Files Transparency Act" releases), she specifically clarified: 

• 2002 Email: She described an October 2002 email to Ghislaine Maxwell—in which she complimented a magazine profile of Epstein—as "casual correspondence" and a "polite reply".
• Photo Evidence: She explained her presence in photos with Epstein and Maxwell as the result of "overlapping social circles" in Palm Beach and Manhattan.

Call for Action

In a move that caught many White House staffers and the President himself off guard, Melania Trump called on Congress to hold public hearings for survivors to testify under oath. She stated that "then, and only then, will we have the truth". Legal ContextThe statement follows several legal victories for the First Lady, including retractions and apologies from The Daily Beast, HarperCollins UK, and strategist James Carville regarding "unverified" claims of her Epstein connection. She is currently in an ongoing legal dispute with author Michael Wolff over similar claims in his writings.