First lady Melania Trump is denying ties to Jeffrey Epstein and knowledge of his sex crimes. She said on Thursday (April 9) that the “stories are completely false,” calling accusations that she was somehow involved “smears about me.” Her message comes days after President Donald Trump‘s deadline-based threat to bomb Iran, before pulling it back during the last hour.
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Melania Trump Shuts Down Alleged Ties To Jeffrey Epstein
Melania Trump addressed the Epstein allegations about her while reading a statement at the White House. She said she and her attorneys were fighting back against “unfound and baseless lies” regarding her connections to Jeffrey.
“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today. 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,” Mrs.Trump said.
Also, the first lady mentioned her husband several times, who appears in the Epstein files tens of thousands of times, according to The New Republic. She said, contrary to some rumors, Epstein did not introduce her to Trump. Instead, she allegedly met her future husband at a party in NYC in 1998.
Furthermore, Mrs. Trump called on Congress to hold a public hearing centered on survivors of Epstein’s crimes. She also suggested an opportunity for them to testify before lawmakers and have their stories entered into the congressional record.
“Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes,” she said. “Then, and only then, we will have the truth.”
First Lady Melania Trump’s Statement pic.twitter.com/fSEz24NEyg
— First Lady Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) April 9, 2026
Is Melania Listed In The Epstein Files?
Melania Trump’s calls for the issue to go back to Congress came after the DOJ released millions of pages of documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Today, Mrs. Trump said in her statement that she was not friends with Jeffrey Epstein or his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, but was in overlapping social circles in New York and Florida. She described an email reply she sent to Maxwell as “casual correspondence” without elaborating. “My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trifle,” she said.
Among the documents was a brief email from 2002 with the sender and recipient blacked out. It begins, “Dear G!” and ends “Love, Melania.” It also compliments the recipient on a magazine article about “JE.”
“I know you are very busy flying all over the world,” it says. “How was Palm Beach? I cannot wait to go down. Give me a call when you are back in NY.”
That email was sent the same month that a New York Magazine article was published about Jeffrey Epstein. In it, Trump called the financier a “terrific guy.” Among other documents released was an image from Epstein’s home showing a series of photographs along a credenza and in drawers. In that image, inside a drawer among other photos, was a photograph of Trump, Epstein, Melania Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Why Is Melania Speaking Out About Epstein Now?
It was not immediately clear what prompted the first lady to speak out about this issue now. The seemingly out-of-the-blue message came as Trump and his administration had finally seemed to move past the Epstein controversy that had followed them for over a year. Now, the first lady’s comments have put the Trump-Epstein allegations back in the spotlight, even after the president urged the public and media to move on. The White House account on X reshared a video of Melania’s announcement posted by the first lady’s account. However, it didn’t add any comment.
Meanwhile, Democrats jumped on Melania Trump’s comments, saying they agreed with her call for a congressional hearing. Rep. Robert Garcia is the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee that is investigating Epstein. In a social media post, Garcia called on the Republican chair of the committee, Rep. James Comer, to schedule a public hearing “immediately.” Also on X, the Democrats called for the cover-up investigation to start with Donald Trump.
The Epstein cover-up must end.
Start by investigating Trump. https://t.co/mK0Rrr7qgP pic.twitter.com/hZuUdmTInX
— Democrats (@TheDemocrats) April 9, 2026
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Associated Press writers Collin Binkley, Will Weisset and Stephen Groves contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
