Melania Trump denies close ties to Jeffrey Epstein in rare public statement

## Summary
Politics Melania Trump denies close ties to Jeffrey Epstein in rare public statement April 9, 2026 5:05 PM ET By Ava Berger First lady Melania Trump listens as U.S. Samuel Corum/Getty Images North America hide caption toggle caption Samuel Corum/Getty Images North America First lady Melania Trump made a rare public statement on Thursday denying that she had close ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and calling on Congress to allow victims to testify. "I am not Epstein's victim," Melania Trump said. "Epstein did not introduce me to [President] Donald Trump." It was not immediately clear why the first lady was addressing this issue publicly. But included in the Epstein files released by the Justice Department was a heavily redacted FBI interview that included the claim Epstein introduced the Trumps. "I have never had any knowledge of Epstein's abuse of his victims," she continued. "I was never involved in any capacity." The first lady asked Congress "to act" and hold public hearings allowing Epstein victims to testify. "Epstein was not alone," Melania Trump said. "I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors. Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress." Melania Trump made the public statement from the White House in front of cameras Thursday afternoon and did not take any questions from reporters.

## Article Content
Politics
Melania Trump denies close ties to Jeffrey Epstein in rare public statement
April 9, 2026
5:05 PM ET
By
Ava Berger
First lady Melania Trump listens as U.S. President Donald Trump (not pictured) delivers remarks during an Independence Day military family picnic on the South Lawn of the White House on July 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images North America
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toggle caption
Samuel Corum/Getty Images North America
First lady Melania Trump made a
rare public statement
on Thursday denying that she had close ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and calling on Congress to allow victims to testify.
"I am not Epstein's victim," Melania Trump said. "Epstein did not introduce me to [President] Donald Trump." It was not immediately clear why the first lady was addressing this issue publicly. But included in the Epstein files released by the Justice Department was a
heavily redacted FBI interview
that included the claim Epstein introduced the Trumps.
"I have never had any knowledge of Epstein's abuse of his victims," she continued. "I was never involved in any capacity."
The first lady asked Congress "to act" and hold public hearings allowing Epstein victims to testify.
"Epstein was not alone," Melania Trump said. "I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors. Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress."
Melania Trump made the public statement from the White House in front of cameras Thursday afternoon and did not take any questions from reporters. The denial
comes a day after the DOJ said former Attorney General Pam Bondi
would not appear for a subpoena before the House Oversight Committee on April 14. The
subpoena addressed
her handling of the DOJ documents about Epstein.
Law
Bill Gates will testify in the Epstein probe; Pam Bondi testimony postponed
Melania Trump's name appears in the
latest tranche of documents
published at the end of January.
Donald Trump is also mentioned in the files, as the two men were friends before falling out. The president has also denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein's alleged crimes.
An NPR investigation in February
found that documents naming the president were withheld from the files. Some of these files were
later published
.
Law
Justice Department withheld and removed some Epstein files related to Trump
In an
apparent email
to Epstein's co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, Melania Trump complimented how Maxwell looked in a photo, and told her to "give me a call when you are back in NY." She signed it, "Love, Melania." Maxwell was convicted on sex-trafficking charges in 2021 and is serving a 20-year sentence. Melania Trump said she had a "casual" email correspondence in her statement.
"My email reply to Maxwell cannot be categorized as anything more than casual correspondence," Melania Trump said. "My polite reply to her email doesn't amount to anything more than a trivial note."
The first lady said the first time she met Epstein was in 2000 at an event she and Donald Trump attended. She said that "fake images and statements" about her and Epstein have been circulating on social media for years now.
"Be cautious about what you believe," she said. "These images and stories are completely false."
She also said she never visited Epstein's island or flew on Epstein's private plane.
"The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today," she said.
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- Samuel Corum/Getty Images North America hide caption toggle caption Samuel Corum/Getty Images North America First lady Melania Trump made a rare public statement on Thursday denying that she had close ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and calling on Congress to allow victims to testify. "I am not Epstein's victim," Melania Trump said. "Epstein did not introduce me to [President] Donald Trump." It was not immediately clear why the first lady was addressing this issue publicly.

### Implications
- Law Bill Gates will testify in the Epstein probe; Pam Bondi testimony postponed Melania Trump's name appears in the latest tranche of documents published at the end of January.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers epstein, trump, melania topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 588.