First Lady Melania Trump has rejected claims tying her to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying she had no knowledge of his crimes and was never connected to him in any meaningful way.
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In a statement released on Thursday, Trump said allegations linking her to Epstein were false and called for an end to what she described as misleading claims.
“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said.
Her office did not immediately respond to questions about why she chose to address the issue publicly now. The White House also declined to comment.
President Donald Trump told a reporter he had not been aware in advance that the first lady planned to issue a statement.
Denial of relationship with Epstein
In her remarks, Melania Trump said she had never had any personal relationship with Epstein or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking.
She acknowledged having once responded to an email from Maxwell but said the exchange amounted only to casual correspondence.
“My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trivial note,” she said.
Trump also denied suggestions that Epstein played any role in her introduction to her husband. She said she met Donald Trump by chance at a New York party in 1998, an encounter she said is detailed in her memoir, Melania.
According to her statement, she first encountered Epstein in 2000 at an event she attended with Donald Trump.
“At the time, I had never met Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal undertakings,” she said.
Response to circulating claims
The first lady said she decided to speak publicly because fabricated stories and manipulated images linking her to Epstein had circulated for years.
“Be cautious about what you believe,” she said. “These images and stories are completely false.”
She added that she has never been accused or convicted of any crimes connected to Epstein and said her name does not appear in court documents, depositions or victim statements related to the case.
Trump also said that some individuals and companies had previously withdrawn claims linking her to Epstein.
Call for congressional hearings
In her statement, Melania Trump called for public hearings in Congress on the broader Epstein scandal and urged lawmakers to allow survivors to testify.
“Epstein was not alone,” she said, arguing that the full truth should be examined through sworn testimony.
She said victims should have the opportunity to speak publicly before Congress if they choose, with their statements permanently recorded.
The issue has also drawn attention on Capitol Hill. Earlier this year, Representative Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, suggested that both Donald and Melania Trump could be subpoenaed to testify if Democrats gain control of the House after November’s elections.
Garcia said the committee would seek testimony from anyone believed to have had ties to Epstein.
Following the first lady’s statement, Garcia said he supported her call for a public hearing and urged committee chairman James Comer to arrange one.
Democrats on the committee have already planned what they describe as a “shadow hearing” featuring Epstein survivors in Palm Beach, Florida, near the president’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
Ongoing scrutiny
Epstein, who died in custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges, remains the subject of ongoing scrutiny and investigations into his network of associates.
Melania Trump said allowing survivors to testify publicly would help bring greater transparency and clarity to the case.
“Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public, if she wishes,” she said.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 10 April 2026
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