Melania Trump’s Epstein denial pushed the Jeffrey Epstein case back into public view on Thursday after she rejected claims linking her to the disgraced financier. Speaking under the presidential seal at the White House, the first lady said she had no relationship with Epstein and was not one of his victims.
She also rejected online speculation that Epstein had introduced her to Donald Trump. Instead, she said she met her husband at a New York City party in 1998 and only crossed paths with Epstein later, in 2000, at an event she attended with Trump.
In a brief statement, Melania Trump said the lies connecting her to Epstein needed to end. She declined to take questions and described the allegations against her as false smears.
Her remarks immediately renewed attention on a case that has continued to shadow Donald Trump’s presidency. The issue had recently faded from headlines as public attention shifted to the US-Israeli war against Iran, but her intervention brought the matter back into focus.
This is gobsmacking. Not only did Melania Trump suddenly decide to give a televised address about Jeffrey Epstein, she's calling on Congress to "act," because Epstein was "not alone." So she just threw a giant stick of political dynamite on the issue her husband despises! pic.twitter.com/DUi2qAupoZ
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 9, 2026Melania Trump Calls for Public Pearings
Melania Trump also urged Congress to hold public hearings so Epstein’s victims could tell their stories under oath. That proposal raised the prospect of fresh public attention on an issue the president has tried to leave behind.
Her senior adviser, Marc Beckman, told Reuters that she spoke out because “enough is enough” and said the lies had to stop. A spokesperson also said her aides were aware she planned to deliver the statement.
The first lady said she never had a relationship with Epstein or his convicted associate Ghislaine Maxwell. She described her email to Maxwell, which was released by the government, as casual correspondence and dismissed it as a trivial note.
Melania Trump did not explain why she chose this moment to address the issue publicly. However, the statement’s setting and style made it highly unusual.
Read: DOJ Releases New Epstein FBI Documents as Democrats Probe Handling of Files
Former Jill Biden press secretary Michael LaRosa said that a first lady in modern times had not publicly addressed controversy from the White House state floor. He described the move as exceptional and said it showed political nerve.
Melania Trump said she first crossed paths with Epstein in 2000 and had no knowledge at the time of his criminal conduct. She added that she and Donald Trump occasionally attended some of the same parties because overlapping social circles were common in New York City and Palm Beach.
