Melania Trump Denies Epstein Ties, Urges Victim Hearings

First Lady Melania Trump delivered a rare public statement at the White House on April 9, 2026, vehemently denying any personal ties to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and calling for congressional hearings to allow his victims to testify under oath.

In remarks lasting about three minutes in the Grand Foyer, Trump addressed what she described as persistent falsehoods linking her to Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges involving minors. "The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today," she said. "The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation."

Trump, 55, clarified that she and her husband, President Donald Trump, occasionally attended the same social events as Epstein in New York City and Palm Beach due to overlapping circles, but emphasized she had never been friends with him or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking. She recounted meeting her husband at a New York party in 1998, as detailed in her memoir, and stated...