First Lady Melania Trump made headlines on Thursday afternoon after she addressed all Epstein-related rumors, reports and allegations, stating in a press briefing at the White House, “The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today.”
In her statement, Melania Trump said she had no knowledge of Epstein’s wrongdoings and claimed she has “never been friends with Epstein.” She also clarified that she and her husband, Donald Trump, were not introduced to each other by Epstein, dismissing decade-long rumours.
The First Lady also cited a chapter of her eponymous memoir as proof that she and Donald Trump actually met at a New York party in the late Nineties. “I am not Epstein’s victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband, by chance, at a New York City party in 1998. This initial encounter with my husband is documented in detail in my book, MELANIA,” she said.
Melania Trump: I am not Epstein’s victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband by chance at the New York City party in 1998. This initial encounter with my husband is documented and detailed in my book pic.twitter.com/Ovpv1r5bFt
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 9, 2026
Melania Trump, citing her book as proof, prompted a lot of reactions from netizens, Most of whom debated whether the statement doubled as a promotion or a plug for her book, reports The Mirror US. A netizen wrote, reacting to the memoir statement on X, “Ah, there’s that plug for her book.”
The comments section was flooded with multiple remarks about the possible book plug and it being cited as proof. “If it’s in your book, well then it must be true,” a netizen wrote. Another one asked, “Her proof of this is her book?” A third comment echoed, “Sources her book, so credible.”
Some more remarks, such as “I think she is just trying to sell her book” and “Is she trying to sell books or do preemptive damage control,” surfaced in the comments section.
A quick glimpse at what other netizens had to say about Melania’s book mention during her statement on Epstein. “Oh! because it’s in her book, it’s documented and a fact,” wrote a netizen. Another one noted, “She cites her own book as an authoritative factual source.” Another comment read, “So, she’s citing a book she wrote?”
The First Lady also referred to her email exchange with Epstein’s longtime accomplice Maxwell as “nothing more than a trivial note.” She clarified, “To be clear, I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice, Maxwell. My email reply to Maxwell cannot be categorized as anything more than casual correspondence. My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trivial note.”
First Lady Melania Trump’s Statement pic.twitter.com/fSEz24NEyg
— First Lady Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) April 9, 2026
Melania Trump mentioned that the first time she crossed paths with Jeffrey Epstein was at an event in 2000 that she and Donald Trump attended together. “At the time, I had never met Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal undertakings,” FLOTUS said, adding, “Numerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been circulating on social media for years now. Be cautious about what you believe. These images and stories are completely false.”
Throughout the course of the briefing, Melania Trump maintained that she was “not a witness or a named witness in connection with any of Epstein’s crimes.” She said that her name has never appeared in “court documents, depositions, victim statements, or FBI interviews” related to the Epstein controversy.
She went on to deny ever being in the vicinity of Epstein, on his island, or on board his private jet. “I have never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims. I was never involved in any capacity—I was not a participant, was never on Epstein’s plane, and never visited his private island,” she continued.
The First Lady ended the session by urging Congress “to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein” with a public hearing, especially centred around the survivors. However, when a reporter pressed whether she would be meeting the Epstein survivors, Melania Trump walked away, dodging the question.
Jeffrey Epstein was found dead on 10 August 2019 at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York. He was arrested in 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking.
