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‘The Lies Need to End Today’
In a rare and dramatic appearance at the White House on Thursday, April 9, 2026, First Lady Melania Trump publicly denied any connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, calling the rumors “lies” and “mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation” .
Standing in the Grand Foyer beneath the presidential seal, Melania Trump read a five-minute statement, then walked away without taking questions . Her remarks immediately shifted the political spotlight back onto the Epstein scandal—an issue President Donald Trump has long sought to move past .
“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said. “I am not Epstein’s victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump.”
She clarified that she met her husband at a New York City party in 1998—two years before she first crossed paths with Epstein at an event in 2000 .
Addressing the ‘Love, Melania’ Email
The first lady addressed a 2002 email released in the Epstein files in which she wrote “Love, Melania” to Maxwell and complimented a magazine article about Epstein . She described it as “casual correspondence” and “a trivial note,” insisting it did not reflect any friendship or deeper relationship .
She acknowledged that she and Donald Trump occasionally attended the same social events as Epstein, but said that was common in New York City and Palm Beach circles . “I have never been friends with Epstein,” she emphasized .
A Surprising Call for Victim Hearings
Perhaps most unexpectedly, Melania Trump urged Congress to hold public hearings where Epstein’s victims could testify under oath and have their stories entered into the congressional record .
“Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes,” she said. “Then, and only then, we will have the truth” .
The call drew a swift response from lawmakers. Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, urged Republican Chairman James Comer to schedule a public hearing “immediately” .
However, 13 Epstein survivors issued a joint statement rejecting the proposal, saying they had already shown “extraordinary courage” and that asking more of them was “a deflection of responsibility, not justice” .
Why Now?
The timing of the statement remains a central question. The Epstein scandal had largely receded from headlines as the Iran war consumed Washington . Investigative journalist Vicky Ward told the BBC that if Melania had made this call a year ago, “we’d feel quite different about it” .
President Trump told reporters he did not know his wife planned to speak, nor the content of her remarks . “I said, ‘If you want to do that, you can do that.’ I didn’t recommend it,” he said, adding that he thought she “actually did a good job” .
Melania’s senior adviser, Marc Beckman, told Reuters: “First Lady Melania Trump spoke out now because enough is enough. The lies must stop” .
