In April 2026, Melania Trump delivered a rare public address from the White House to deny “lies linking me to the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein.” The first lady’s statement, in which she denied being a “victim” of the convicted sex offender, also denied having any knowledge of crimes committed by Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. She acknowledged that she and her husband attended social events with Epstein and Maxwell and that she exchanged emails with Maxwell which she described as “trivial.” There are numerous photographs of the two couples together, including at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate but she also addressed what she called “Numerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been circulating on social media for years now.” The first lady called on Congress to hold hearings to allow the survivors of Epstein’s abuse to testify on the record. It was not clear what prompted the first lady to make the statement.
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