President Donald Trump, like many others, said he was caught off guard by Melania Trump’s sudden speech at the White House, where she refuted the allegations related to Jeffrey Epstein. The 79-year-old said he had no prior knowledge of her comments.
In an interview with MS Now, Trump said he had “no idea” about the first lady’s on-camera statement. He added, “She doesn’t know [Epstein]” and then abruptly ended the call with reporters.
Melania Trump’s rare speech
Melania Trump made a rare and highly charged public statement in the White House Cross Room, directly rebutting years of speculation linking her to Epstein.
“I am not a victim of Epstein,” she said. “Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband by chance at a party in New York City in 1998.”
In her speech, Melania firmly denied any personal relationship with Epstein or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, stressing that any contact occurred only within overlapping social circles in New York and Palm Beach.
She also warned against spreading misinformation online. “These images and stories are completely false. I am not a witness or an unnamed witness to any of Epstein’s crimes,” she said.
“The false slander against me by small-minded, politically motivated individuals and entities seeking to damage my reputation for financial gain and political advancement must stop,” the first lady continued. “My attorneys and I successfully fought these baseless and baseless lies and will continue to defend my good reputation without hesitation.”
In a notable move, Melania Trump called for broader accountability in the Epstein case, urging lawmakers to take action.
“I call on Congress to provide survivors-specific public hearings for the women who were victims of Epstein,” she added.
Melania-Ghislaine Maxwell Email
She also addressed a review of email exchanges with Maxwell that appeared in the document release. “My email responses to Maxwell amounted to nothing more than casual correspondence. My polite response to her emails amounted to nothing more than a trivial note,” Melania said.
According to her account, she first met Epstein in 2000, years before the charges against him became public, and she insists she was unaware of any wrongdoing at the time.
