Melania Trump awkwardly deflected questions from reporters on Wednesday as a White House press availability ended abruptly, following inquiries about Ghislaine Maxwell and the use of an official event to reference her new film. The exchange took place during a public appearance tied to the release of former Hamas hostages, before aides moved to shut the room down.
According to The Express, the first lady was hosting Aviva and Keith Siegel at the White House, after Keith Siegel’s release from captivity. The couple thanked the Trump administration for its role in securing his freedom, with Melania describing the meeting as emotional and significant.
After brief remarks, the first lady ook questions from reporters. One journalist asked Melania about Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein who is currently serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison. The question came amid renewed attention on Epstein following the release of millions of court documents last week.
Reporter: There’s a call from Epstein survivors to have Ghislaine Maxwell moved to a high security prison. What do you want to have happen?
Melania Trump: We are here to celebrate the release and the life of those two incredible people. Let’s honor that.
pic.twitter.com/qDl0tvgSgY
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 4, 2026
Melania appeared visibly taken aback and did not address Maxwell directly. As the question was being asked, a voice off-camera could be heard repeating, “Thank you, press,” in an apparent effort to interrupt the exchange.
“We are here to celebrate the release and the life of those two incredible people,” Melania said. “Let’s honor that.”
The press availability continued briefly before another reporter asked whether it was appropriate to reference Melania’s recently released documentary during an official White House event. Melania responded curtly, saying, “This is not a promotion.”
Q: Why use an official White House event to promote your movie?
Melania Trump: “This is not a promotion.”
(She promoted the video five minutes earlier at the same event.) pic.twitter.com/DV24hbHiFB
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) February 4, 2026
Earlier in the appearance, however, she had mentioned the documentary multiple times while describing her earlier meeting with Aviva Siegel in New York. Melania said that meeting helped set in motion events that eventually led to Keith Siegel’s release.
“That first meeting with Aviva Siegel served as a catalyst to the events leading up to Keith’s freedom,” Melania told reporters. “It was clear that day that Aviva Siegel’s human spirit would move mountains.” She later added that the encounter was filmed and included in her documentary, calling it “very emotional.”
Well, well, well. It looks like Melania and Ghislaine Maxwell were quite chummy. pic.twitter.com/wOY32MZSzE
— ThePatrioticBlonde🇺🇸 (@ImBreckWorsham) February 4, 2026
The tone of the room shifted following the Maxwell question. Within moments, aides again called out “Thank you, press,” and reporters were ushered out, effectively ending the session.
The Maxwell inquiry follows renewed scrutiny of figures connected to Epstein after 3 million documents were unsealed. President Donald Trump’s name appears multiple times in the records, though he has said he cut ties with Epstein in 2007.
The man who introduced Trump to Melania, Paolo Zampolli, served on the board of the TerraMar Project, a “nonprofit” founded by Ghislaine Maxwell…
Zampolli now holds a U.S. diplomatic role under Trump.
Just another random coincidence, I’m sure. pic.twitter.com/RpTObb9em4
— ADAM (@AdameMedia) February 2, 2026
Attention has also turned to Melania Trump after resurfaced photographs and emails from the early 2000s circulated online. Among the documents is a 2002 email signed “Love, Melania,” allegedly sent to Maxwell, commenting on a New York Magazine profile of Epstein and complimenting Maxwell’s appearance in a photograph.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 on federal sex trafficking charges and is currently incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution Tallahassee. Calls to move her to a higher-security facility have surfaced periodically, though no official action has been announced.
The White House has not issued a statement addressing the press interruption or the questions directed at the first lady during the event.
