First Lady Melania Trump is pushing back on claims she was linked to the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a surprise address at the White House.
‘I am not Epstein’s victim,’ she stated during the address on Thursday afternoon. ‘Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband by chance at a New York City party in 1998.’
Trump and Melania met that year at the Kit Kat Klub in New York when the former supermodel was 28 years old. Paolo Zampolli, a modeling agency boss who is serving as Trump’s special envoy for global partnerships, claims he introduced the couple. They later married in 2005.
‘I’ve never been friends with Epstein,’ she added.
The announcement came as a shock, as there had not been recent revelations linking her to the sex offender, who the government says committed suicide while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges in August 2019.
Melania appeared highly nervous during the speech, she was shaking, she seemed visibly emotional and she largely looked down at her notes. The First Lady did not take any questions before walking away from the podium.
She claimed that though she and the President had overlapping social circles with Epstein, they did not have a relationship. She also said that she never associated with Epstein’s criminal associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
She told the room that she first met Epstein in 2000 and that she was unaware of anything untoward. He was not accused until years later in 2005.
‘I’ve never been friends with Epstein,’ Melania Trump said during an address at the White House on Thursday afternoon
The First Lady said that rumors on social media that linked her to Epstein are false, and that she met Donald Trump at a party in 1998, not through the late sex offender
The First Lady said she had seen ‘fake images and statements’ linking her to Epstein on social media for years, and urged viewers to ‘be cautious about what you believe.’
‘These images and stories are completely false. I’m not a witness or unnamed witness in connection with any of Epstein’s crimes,’ she said.
‘The false smears about me from mean-spirited and politically motivated individuals and entities looking to cause damage to my good name to gain financially and climb politically must stop,’ the First Lady continued. ‘My attorneys and I have fought these unfounded and baseless lies with success, and will continue to maintain my sound reputation without hesitation.’
In a surprising move, Melania called on Congress to hold hearings with victims of Epstein’s abuse.
‘I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors,’ she added.
Melania noted how Epstein did not work alone and that several prominent male executives resigned as the scandal became increasingly politicized.
Though that does not amount to the executives being guilty, she said, ‘we still must work openly and transparently to uncover the truth.’
She also addressed an email that she had sent to Maxwell that was published in January, saying that her response was to be polite, and it did not indicate a close relationship.
Donald Trump and his then-girlfriend Melania Knauss, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, February 12, 2000
Trump and the financier chatting to Belgian supermodel Ingrid Seynhaeve at a Victoria’s Secret party at Manhattan’s Laura Belle club in April 1997
Ghislaine Maxwell attends a Theo Fennell party at the Cafe Royal, London, November 10, 1996
Buried in the tranche of more than three million Epstein files, is an email signed ‘Love, Melania’ that appears to be addressed to Maxwell.
The names of the sender and recipient of the October 23, 2002, email are redacted.
The message begins: ‘Dear G! How are you? Nice story about JE in NY mag. You look great on the picture.’
That week, New York Magazine ran a now-infamous story headlined: ‘Jeffrey Epstein: International Moneyman of Mystery.’
The article featured a full-page color illustration of Epstein grinning alongside Bill Clinton in front of his private jet, as the actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker board the aircraft.
The piece included a photo of Maxwell with Epstein at a black tie event, as well as a photo of Donald Trump and the financier chatting to Belgian supermodel Ingrid Seynhaeve at a Victoria’s Secret party.
The email continues: ‘I know you are very busy flying all over the world. How was Palm Beach? I cannot wait to go down. Give me a call when you are back in NY. Have a great time!’
It is signed affectionately: ‘Love, Melania.’
