‘The lies must stop’: Melania Trump delivers rare White House statement on Epstein

First Lady Melania Trump delivered an extraordinary public statement from the White House on Thursday, April 9, 2026, denying any personal, legal, or criminal connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, and calling on Congress to hold a formal public hearing for survivors of Epstein’s crimes.

The statement, read by Melania Trump from the Grand Foyer of the White House, was notable both for its content and its rarity. The first lady has historically been restrained in her public communications, and the direct address marked one of the most significant public interventions she has made on a matter of political controversy during her time in the White House.

Why did Melania Trump issue a public statement about Jeffrey Epstein from the White House in April 2026?

Melania Trump opened by stating that the lies linking her to Jeffrey Epstein needed to end. She described those she held responsible for spreading the claims as individuals devoid of ethical standards, humility, and respect, and said she rejected their attempts to damage her reputation. Marc Beckman, identified as senior adviser to the first lady, said she had decided to speak out publicly because enough is enough and the lies must stop. Beckman said it was time for the public and media to focus on her achievements as First Lady and her commitment to the nation.

The statement caught much of Washington by surprise. President Donald Trump indicated to media that he had not been aware of the first lady’s remarks beforehand. A White House official, speaking without authorisation, said many White House staffers were also not informed in advance.

What did Melania Trump say about her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and how she first met Donald Trump?

The first lady was direct in her central declaration. She stated that she is not Epstein’s victim, that Epstein did not introduce her to Donald Trump, and that she met her husband by chance at a New York City party in 1998, an account she said is documented in her memoir. She said the first time she crossed paths with Epstein was at an event she attended with Donald Trump in the year 2000, and that at that time she had no knowledge of Epstein’s criminal conduct.

Melania Trump denied ever having travelled on Epstein’s private aircraft or visited his private island. She stated that her name has never appeared in court documents, depositions, victim statements, or FBI interviews in connection with the Epstein investigation. She said she had never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims and was not involved in any capacity. She also denied ever having been a friend of Epstein, stating that she and President Donald Trump had attended the same events as Epstein only because of overlapping social circles in New York City and Palm Beach.

What was the 2002 email between Melania Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell found in the Epstein files?

The first lady addressed directly a 2002 email exchange between herself and Ghislaine Maxwell that was included in the Justice Department’s release of Epstein-related documents in January 2026. In the email, dated October 23, 2002, Melania Trump, then known as Melania Knauss, complimented a New York magazine article about Epstein and told Maxwell she looked great in an accompanying photograph. Melania Trump described her email reply to Maxwell as casual correspondence, characterising her polite reply as a trivial note that could not be interpreted as anything more significant.

Maxwell, a British socialite, was convicted of child sex trafficking in 2021 and is currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for her role in recruiting and trafficking victims for Epstein’s criminal operation.

How has Melania Trump’s legal team responded to Epstein-related claims before the April 2026 statement?

The first lady said she and her legal team had fought what she described as unfounded and baseless lies with success over a period of years. Among the legal actions taken by her team was a successful effort to secure a retraction from the Daily Beast, which had published claims by author Michael Wolff alleging that Epstein had introduced Melania Trump to Donald Trump. The Daily Beast issued a retraction and an apology.

What is the background of the Jeffrey Epstein case and the Justice Department document release in 2026?

Jeffrey Epstein, a financier who built a network of sexual abuse spanning decades and implicating prominent figures across finance, politics, and media, died in a Manhattan federal detention facility in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. Ghislaine Maxwell was subsequently convicted in December 2021 on five counts including sex trafficking of a minor and is serving her sentence at a federal correctional facility. No individual beyond Epstein and Maxwell has been charged in the United States in connection with the sex-trafficking network they operated.

The Justice Department’s January 2026 document release, which included investigative materials, communications, and supporting records related to the Epstein probe, generated significant political pressure across both parties. Lawmakers criticised the release as incomplete and called for additional disclosure.

Why did Pam Bondi refuse to comply with the House Oversight Committee subpoena on the Epstein files?

The statement was delivered the day after the Justice Department informed the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that former Attorney General Pam Bondi would not comply with a subpoena to provide testimony before the panel regarding her handling of the Epstein files. Bondi’s refusal intensified frustration among both Republican and Democratic members of the committee and formed the immediate political backdrop against which Melania Trump chose to speak.

What did Melania Trump call on Congress to do for Jeffrey Epstein survivors in her April 2026 address?

Melania Trump concluded her statement with a call to action directed at Congress. She urged lawmakers to provide Epstein’s survivors with a dedicated public hearing, to allow each woman who wished to speak the opportunity to testify under oath, and to have that testimony permanently entered into the Congressional Record. She said Epstein was not alone and that several prominent male executives had resigned from powerful positions after the matter became widely publicised, while stressing that resignation does not constitute guilt and that the process of uncovering the truth must be open and transparent.

How did Congress and Epstein survivor advocates respond to Melania Trump’s White House statement?

The response on Capitol Hill reflected unusual cross-party alignment on the narrow question of holding a public hearing. Representative Robert Garcia of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, publicly endorsed the call and urged Committee Chairman Representative James Comer of Kentucky to schedule a public hearing immediately. Republican Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina, a committee member who has been among the most outspoken lawmakers pressing for accountability in the Epstein matter, also thanked the first lady and echoed the call.

Epstein survivors and their advocates responded with a more critical statement. In remarks issued after the first lady spoke, survivors said Melania Trump was shifting the burden onto them under politicised conditions that protect those in power. The survivor statement argued that the Justice Department, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the Trump administration had not yet fully complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act and that the first lady’s speech diverted attention from former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s handling of the files and the exposure of survivors’ identities. The survivor statement concluded by saying that survivors had done their part and that it was now time for those in positions of institutional power to do theirs.

House Oversight Committee Democrats had previously scheduled a separate shadow hearing for May 2026 in Palm Beach, Florida, at which Epstein survivors were to be given the opportunity to testify. That hearing is located near President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, a venue that has featured in discussions about social interactions involving Epstein and prominent figures in American public life.

What are the key takeaways from Melania Trump’s White House statement denying Epstein ties and calling for a congressional survivor hearing?

• First Lady Melania Trump delivered a rare direct public statement on April 9, 2026, denying any personal, legal, or criminal connection to Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell, including explicitly stating she is not an Epstein victim, was never on his plane, and never visited his private island.
• Melania Trump characterised a 2002 email she sent to Ghislaine Maxwell, which appeared in the January 2026 Justice Department document release, as casual correspondence with no further significance.
• The first lady called on Congress to hold a formal public hearing for Epstein survivors, with sworn testimony to be entered permanently into the Congressional Record, a call that drew bipartisan support from Representative Robert Garcia and Representative Nancy Mace.
• Epstein survivor advocates responded critically, arguing the statement shifted the burden onto victims and diverted attention from the Trump administration’s compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act and former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s handling of withheld documents.
• The statement was delivered the day after the Justice Department confirmed former Attorney General Pam Bondi would not comply with a House Oversight Committee subpoena, a decision that had already intensified congressional pressure over the Epstein investigation.