WASHINGTON — United States First Lady Melania Trump has publicly rejected claims linking her to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, stating she had no involvement in his activities and was never a victim.
Speaking during a brief news conference at the White House on Thursday, Melania Trump addressed long-standing allegations and media reports suggesting ties between her and the late financier.
“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said in a five-minute statement.
Okay News reports that the first lady clarified that she met United States President Donald Trump independently at a New York City party in 1998, disputing claims that Epstein had introduced them. She noted that this account was also documented in her memoir published in late 2024.
Author Michael Wolff, who interviewed Epstein for his 2018 book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, had previously claimed that Melania Trump was “very involved” in Epstein’s social circle during the 1990s. However, the first lady said legal action had been taken against such claims.
According to her, several outlets and individuals have since retracted their statements. She cited a retraction and apology from The Daily Beast, where Wolff had made comments in a report, as well as a public apology from Democratic strategist James Carville over remarks made on his podcast.
She also noted that HarperCollins UK agreed to remove a claim linking Epstein to her introduction to Donald Trump from a book published last year.
“The first time I crossed paths with Epstein was in the year 2000, at an event Donald and I attended together,” Melania Trump said Thursday. “At the time, I had never met Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal undertakings.”
The controversy has been fueled in part by documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice, which included an email exchange between Melania Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell, a close associate of Epstein. In the correspondence, the first lady made friendly remarks about a magazine story and Maxwell’s travels.
Addressing the email, Melania Trump described it as “casual correspondence … that doesn’t amount to anything.”
Epstein, who faced extensive allegations of sexual abuse involving minors, died by suicide in a New York City jail in 2019 while awaiting trial. According to the Justice Department, he abused at least 1,000 women and children over several decades. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in facilitating the abuse and has reportedly sought clemency.
Melania Trump also dismissed what she described as fabricated material circulating online.
“Numerous fake images and statements linking me with Epstein have been (circulating) on social media for years now. Be cautious about what you believe. These images and stories are completely false.”
She further stressed that she has never been implicated in any investigation tied to Epstein.
“I was never involved in any capacity,” she said. “I was not a participant, was never on Epstein’s plane and never visited his private island.”
While past flight records have shown that Donald Trump flew on Epstein’s private jet in the 1990s, the president has since distanced himself from the disgraced financier, stating he cut ties years before Epstein’s legal troubles escalated.
In her remarks, the first lady called for broader accountability and transparency regarding the Epstein case, urging lawmakers to hear directly from victims.
“Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes,” Melania Trump said. “And then her testimony should be permanently entered into the congressional record. Then, and only then, we will have the truth.”
