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First Lady Melania Trump delivered an unannounced statement at the White House on Thursday, flatly denying any friendship with or knowledge of the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and calling on Congress to convene a public hearing for the late financier's surviving victims, in an extraordinary intervention that immediately reignited one of the most combustible scandals of her husband's presidency.
"The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today," she said, reading from prepared remarks in the Grand Foyer. "The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect."
The appearance, which was not pre-announced and caught Washington largely off guard, came at a moment when the Trump administration had seemingly begun to put the Epstein affair behind it. Washington's attention had shifted overwhelmingly to the Iran conflict and its aftermath. The first lady's remarks, broadcast live and immediately reposted on social media, almost certainly return it to the political fore.
The 55-year-old Slovenian-born former model, who is among the most guarded and publicly reticent first ladies in recent memory, laid out a detailed personal chronology intended to draw a firm line between herself and Epstein. She said she first met her future husband at a New York City party in 1998, and that it was not until 2000, at an event she attended alongside Donald Trump, that she first crossed paths with Epstein at all. "I am not Epstein's victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump," she said.
She denied ever traveling on Epstein's private plane or visiting his private island, and said her name has never appeared in court documents, depositions, victim statements, or FBI interviews connected to the Epstein case. She and Donald Trump, she acknowledged, were invited to some of the same social gatherings as Epstein, a common occurrence, she said, given overlapping circles in New York and Palm Beach, Florida.
She also addressed a previously released email bearing the sign-off "Love, Melania," sent to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime associate and later convicted sex trafficker, who is currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence. The first lady characterized the message as trivial social correspondence, saying her reply to Maxwell "doesn't amount to anything more than a trifle."
In what may prove the statement's most politically consequential passage, Melania Trump called directly on Congress to organize a dedicated public hearing for Epstein's victims. "Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public, if she wishes," she said, adding that testimony should be entered permanently into the congressional record.
Democrats swiftly aligned themselves with that demand. Representative Robert Garcia of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, posted on social media urging committee chairman Representative James Comer to schedule such a hearing immediately. The committee has been conducting its own Epstein investigation and recently clashed with former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who defied a subpoena to appear before the panel to discuss her handling of the files.
The first lady's remarks come against the backdrop of ongoing document releases under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted under sustained political pressure requiring the government to open its files on Epstein and his associates. Lawmakers criticized the Justice Department last month for producing only a partial release, with officials citing the need for additional review.
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