US First Lady Melania Trump, on April 9, made a surprise on-camera statement to deny unspecified allegations about her and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Image: Mandel Ngan/AFP
US First Lady Melania Trump made a rare on-camera statement on Thursday denying any knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse, or that she herself was a victim of the convicted sex offender.
"The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today," she said. "The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility, and respect."
The 55-year-old's rare on-camera remarks at the White House addressed allegations that have circulated on social media and in some media reports that suggest documents in the released Epstein files showed Melania Trump submitting an "Epstein visa" application.
Reports suggested that Epstein introduced Melania to her husband, Donald Trump, in the mid-1990s, with some claims alleging they met on Epstein's private plane.
A 2002 email from Melania Trump to Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, was highlighted, which Melania described as "casual correspondence".
Social media speculation and photos suggested Melania was part of the social circle surrounding Epstein and Maxwell, with photographs showing them together at Mar-a-Lago in 2000.
Melania has claimed she first met Epstein in 2000 at an event with her husband, denying that he introduced them and that they were never friends. She stated that she has never been friends with Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell, and rejects the idea that there was any personal or meaningful connection.
She acknowledges there was an email exchange with Maxwell, but said it was a “casual correspondence,” polite and insignificant, not evidence of any relationship.
She explicitly said she was not involved in Epstein’s activities, had no knowledge of his criminal behaviour at the time, and was not part of any wrongdoing or investigation.
She concedes that she and her husband attended some of the same social events as Epstein and Maxwell, but framed this as normal overlapping social circles in New York and Palm Beach, not personal friendship
IOL