Melania Trump recently issued a statement confirming she had no relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and was not one of his victims, a claim Donald Trump denied on Wednesday, calling it “fake news.”
“The fake news said she did it, but she didn’t,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News. “I think that’s been proven, fake news is fake news, and that bothers her. So she just wants to clarify that.”
Interview on the Pope, Iran and Europe
Trump also addressed a range of unrelated global issues in the same interview. Regarding his differences with the pope, Trump insisted there was no personal conflict, although he disagreed with the pope’s stance on Iran.
“I have nothing against the Pope. His brother has always been MAGA. I like his brother Louis.”
Asked why he seemed to disagree, Trump said: “I don’t fight with him. The Pope makes a statement. He says Iran can have a nuclear weapon. I say Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. I have the right to disagree with the Pope.”
Criticism of Europe’s energy choices
Trump also criticized European countries’ energy policies, particularly the use of wind energy.
“They should buy more from us, what they should do is use the North Sea,” he said.
“They’re not doing that. They’re doing windmills. Windmills only do one thing. You know what they do? Put you out of business,” he added.
Earlier, Trump said in an interview with US media that there may be no need to extend the ceasefire agreement currently set to expire next week, raising expectations for a possible breakthrough.
“I think the war in Iran will be over soon,” he said in an interview with Fox Business Network, while telling ABC News that a deal, while not necessary, would be better to allow for reconstruction.
Talks could resume within days
Diplomatic efforts appear to be regaining momentum after the first round of talks in Pakistan failed to reach an agreement. Officials familiar with the negotiations said the two sides were working to finalize a second round of talks that could be completed within days.
Trump himself told US media that he expected “the next two days to be amazing” and hinted at upcoming developments. Vice President Vance, who led previous negotiations, also expressed cautious optimism despite lingering mistrust between Washington and Tehran.
Secret discussions since the weekend have reportedly narrowed differences, raising hopes that a framework deal could be reached soon.
