Melania Trump had an awkward situation in the White House briefing of February 4, when a reporter asked her a question relating to the Epstein survivors. The meeting started with the First Lady meeting an American-Israeli man and his wife. The couple were among around 251 people who were taken hostage during the surprise attack on southern Israel by Hamas fighters on October 7, 2023.
Keith Siegel, whose experience she featured in her new documentary Melania, was held for 484 days until his release in February 2025. This came during a US-brokered ceasefire with Israel shortly after Donald Trump started his second term as president. Siegel’s wife, Aviva, was held for 51 days before Hamas freed her in November 2023 during a previous ceasefire.
During the press briefing, Melania Trump recalled the “emotional meeting” with Aviva in January 2025, saying, “After Aviva was freed, she called me, wanted to see me and we set up a meeting in New York. It was emotional meeting, and it is captured on camera and available to see in my film, Melania.”
However, while the First lady spoke of her meeting with the Siegels, other questions arose from the press. One reporter confronted Melania about Ghislaine Maxwell and her alleged prison treatment. They also asked about the demands from Jeffrey Epstein’s survivors about how the convicted child sex trafficker was moved to a high-security prison.
Maxwell has been convicted of sex trafficking in 2021 about her role in grooming victims for Epstein and his rich friends. She is now serving a 20-year sentence in the low security Federal Prison Camp (FPC) in Bryan, Texas, where she has most of the comforts of life.
Melania was asked by a reporter, “There’s a call from many Epstein survivors that Ghislaine Maxwell move to a high security prison. Do you know why that happened?”
However, at that point in the briefing, Melania’s aides intervened, calling out, “Thank you, press!” to get them out of the room without the question being answered.
After dodging the question, the First Lady said, “We are here celebrating the release and the life of those two incredible people, so let’s honor that.”
Meanwhile, Melania was asked by another reporter if it was appropriate for her to use an official White House event to promote her $40 million, Amazon-funded documentary. However, she denied this, saying, “This is not promotion. We are here celebrating the release of the hostages, of Aviva and Keith. They were in Washington, DC, and they called me. They said they would like to come over to thank me and to give hugs, and that’s why we are here. It’s nothing to do with promotion.”
Wow Melania Trump gets a Ghislaine Maxwell question
Melania Trump: We are here celebrating the life of these two incredible people. pic.twitter.com/2nbsPV7mOA
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 4, 2026
Naturally, when the video of the briefing was shared on social media, viewers were left in shock. One X user wrote, “I find the woman absolutely grotesquely hideous in every way. She and Donald deserve each other, the miserable f***s.”
Another commented, “Deflecting again, accountability doesn’t take a holiday,” while another wrote, “She is a fraud just like the rest of them…”
An X user also reacted to the interview by revealing a series of photos from the Epstein files featuring the First Lady.
Can’t wait to hear Melania testify! pic.twitter.com/RKU3Dhqc6F
— Impeach Trump a 3rd Time! (@Christo12919382) February 4, 2026
Another social media user asked simply, “Melania, You don’t care, Do You?”
This comes with the latest release of Epstein files, including an alleged email exchange between the First Lady, who went by the name Melania Knauss before marrying Donald Trump, and Epstein’s former girlfriend sex trafficker and British socialite, Ghislaine Maxwell.
According to the Daily Beast, the alleged email correspondence between the two women was in 2022, at a time Melania complimented a New York magazine article about Jeffrey Epstein and while praising the socialite.
“Dear G! How are you?” the email allegedly started. “Nice story about JE in NY mag. You look great in the picture,” it added.
“I know you are very busy flying all over the world,” the email continued. “How was Palm Beach? I cannot wait to go down. Give me a call when you are back in NY. Have a great time!”
Meanwhile, the future First Lady allegedly signed the email, “Love, Melania.
In another email, Maxwell responded, addressing Melania as “sweet pea.” Yet another email revealed that Maxwell would try to call Melania.
“Actually, plans changed again, and I am now on my way back to NY,” responded Maxwell. “I leave again on Fri, so I still do not think I have time to see you, sadly. I will try and call, though,” she added. “Keep well.”
Melania has yet to comment on the exchange after the files were released last week. Meanwhile, she was not the only person to avoid questions about the Epstein survivors. It was recently reported that Britain’s Queen Camilla also dodged a similar question with silence and a stiff upper lip. In her case, the reporter was investigating former Prince Andrew who also features in the Epstein files.
