First Lady Melania Trump denies relationship with Jeffrey Epstein
First lady Melania Trump has denied any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell.
- First lady Melania Trump has vehemently denied any friendship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
- She said she met Donald Trump at a Fashion Week party in 1998, not through Epstein.
- Melania Trump has previously threatened to sue people who say Epstein introduced her to her husband.
First lady Melania Trump made a sudden announcement on April 9, vehemently denying her friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“The lies linking me to the disgraced Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said at the White House. “Those who lie about me lack ethical standards, humility and respect.”
She referred to Epstein’s email responses to his ex-girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, calling it “casual correspondence.” She also called on Congress to give Epstein survivors the opportunity to testify publicly, saying “all women should be able to tell their stories in public if they choose.”
The first lady has not been accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein. But others say Epstein introduced President Donald Trump to Melania Trump. She denies this and has threatened lawsuits against people like Hunter Biden who have said it publicly.
So how did the couple meet? She says:
How did First Lady Melania Trump and Donald Trump meet?
First Lady Melania Trump mentioned how she met her now-husband in her 2024 memoir, “Melania.”
It says the following:
Chapter 5: “Hello, I’m Donald Trump.”
On a Friday night in September 1998, as I settled into my comfortable New York apartment after a whirlwind trip to Paris, the phone rang. That was my friend.
“My boyfriend is having a party at the Kit Kat Club tomorrow night,” she said. “Please come. It’s been a while since we met.”
“I just got back from Paris,” I said.
“Please, it’s going to be fun. There’s going to be a lot of people coming. I’ll go pick them up.”
I was tired and jet-lagged, but I loved the idea of spending the weekend with friends.
I have always been selective about how I spend my time and where I put my energy. Late night partying at a club wasn’t the top choice on a Saturday night. I much preferred staying at home and watching movies or going out to dinner with close friends. I never avoided social gatherings, but clubbing was never my thing.
I accepted the invitation anyway. It was Fashion Week, after all, and the era of glamor and sophistication. I was actually looking forward to interacting with industry insiders and trendsetters.
When I stepped into the sleek black limousine in which my friend arrived, I felt like a celebrity on the way to a gala. When we arrived at the Kit Kat Club, we were greeted by the energy of the crowd and the bright lights. Inside, the dark and crowded space was buzzing with models, photographers, editors, and designers on this Saturday night of fashion week. I sat at a table in the VIP section on the second floor, and there was an atmosphere of sophisticated camaraderie. Some people danced, others had lively conversations, and we all had a great time.
I could see my friend waving to someone behind me. I turned around and noticed a man and an attractive blonde woman approaching me.
“Hello, I’m Donald Trump,” the man said as he sat down at my table. “Nice to meet you.” I recognized the name and knew he was a businessman or famous, but I didn’t know much else. He held out his hand and shook mine.
“Hello,” I answered. “I’m Melania.”
His eyes were filled with curiosity and interest, and he took the opportunity to sit down next to me and strike up a conversation. He asked me about my time in New York, my home in Slovenia, and my travels around the world. It was a moment of connection and a brief encounter that left a lasting impression. I’m glad I made new acquaintances.
He was such a great date that I initially dismissed our conversation as just chatter at an industry event. The music was loud and the crowd was loud, making it difficult to truly connect with anyone.
From the moment we started our conversation, I was captivated by his charm and easygoing personality. Although there was a lot of buzzing activity around us, his focus on our interactions made me feel like I was the center of his world. It was a refreshing break from the usual superficial small talk, and I found myself drawn to his magnetism.
In her April 9 speech, she also said that she first met Mr. Epstein in 2000 at an event she attended with Mr. Trump.
Hunter Biden, one of the targets of legal threats over another intro story
In August, Melania Trump threatened to sue Hunter Biden for more than $1 billion unless he retracted claims made in an interview on YouTube’s Channel 5 that Epstein introduced Donald and Melania. “Hmm, that’s it. That’s not going to happen,” Biden said in a follow-up video.
Following the first lady’s comments, Biden said he would participate in a cage fight with Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump if it was hosted by filmmaker and Channel 5 content creator Andrew Callahan.
Other news outlets and creators who reported that Epstein introduced the couple were also notified by Trump’s lawyers and issued apologies and retractions as a result.
In the interview that sparked the legal threat, Biden named Michael Wolff, author of several of Trump’s books. Wolf himself was threatened with legal action when he discussed Epstein’s relationship with the Trumps. But Wolff sued Melania Trump in October, claiming her threat to sue was intended to intimidate Trump into silence.
Court records show Melania Trump has moved to dismiss the lawsuit, with one filing calling the charges “frivolous.”
A lawyer representing Mr. Wolf in the lawsuit did not respond to a request for comment on the first lady’s recent appearances.
Why is First Lady Melania speaking about Epstein now?
The first lady’s remarks were surprising since she rarely speaks in public. But also, while the controversy surrounding Epstein has dogged the Trump administration for months, public discussion about it has subsided since the Justice Department announced earlier this year that it had completed the release of files mandated by the Epstein File Transparency Act.
Mark Beckman, a senior Trump adviser, said the first lady “speaks out now because enough is enough.”
Beckman added: “The lies must stop. It’s time for the public and the media to take note of her incredible accomplishments as First Lady.”
The president said in an interview with MS NOW that he did not know this statement would be made.
Contributor: Zach Anderson, Christopher Kang, Josh Meyer, James Powell, america today
Michael Wolff was a freelance USA TODAY contributor from 2012 to early 2017. USA TODAY had no knowledge of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein or any of his activities beyond his publication submissions. We value integrity and transparency in order to uphold our editorial standards and maintain the trust of our readers.
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Please contact KCrowley@usatodayco.com. follow her X (Twitter), thread, blue sky and TikTok.
