First lady Melania Trump fought back Thursday against what she called “lies” about her being a victim of sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.
She also warned people not to believe everything they read on social media.
“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said in a rare public address from the White House.
“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,” she said. “I have never been friends with Epstein. Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach.”
Mrs. Trump said she never had a relationship with Epstein, who died in a jail cell in 2019 awaiting a federal sex trafficking trial. She also said she never had a relationship with his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Epstein traffic sex victims.
Mrs. Trump explained a friendly 2002 email exchange between herself and Maxwell, which was included in a massive release of documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation in January 2026.
“My email reply to Maxwell cannot be categorized as anything more than casual correspondence. My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trivial note,” she said.
In the email, dated Oct. 23, 2002, Mrs. Trump (then Melania Knauss) complimented a New York magazine article about Jeffrey Epstein and told Maxwell she looked “great in the picture.”
The email, addressed to “Dear G!” (a nickname for Maxwell), expressed a desire to meet up in New York, asked how Palm Beach was, and stated, “I cannot wait to go down.”
Maxwell responded, calling Melania “Sweet pea,” but said her schedule was too busy to meet.
On Thursday, Mrs. Trump stressed that she did not fall prey to Epstein.
“I am not Epstein’s victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband by chance at a New York City Party in 1998. This initial encounter with my husband is documented in detail in my book ’Melania.’”
“The first time I crossed paths with Epstein was in the year 2000 at an event Donald and I attended together,” she said.
“At the time, I had never met Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal undertakings. Numerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been circulating on social media for years now. Be cautious about what you believe.”
