Axios

Melania Trump says she's "never been friends with Epstein" in rare address

Apr 9, 2026Center Left

First lady Melania Trump denied that she had a friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein or that she had any ties to his crimes in a head-turning White House address Thursday.The big picture: The administration's handling of the Epstein files — and the president's ties to the disgraced financier — have become a months-long headache for the…

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It was unclear which specific accusations spurred the first lady to respond publicly – key US politics stories from Thursday 9 April at a glanceMelania Trump stood at a podium in the same room Donald Trump used to address the nation on the war in Iran last week to make an announcement: she “never had a relationship” with the late sex offender Jeffrey…

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WASHINGTON — In a rare public statement, first lady Melania Trump on Thursday said she "never had a relationship" with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein or his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

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CNN reporters were shocked on Thursday after first lady Melania Trump gave her first-ever statement on Jeffrey Epstein and called for Congress to give survivors of the late financier and convicted child sex offender a chance to testify. Melania Trump's connection to Epstein has long been under speculation, and in her speech from the White House, she broke…

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First Lady Melania Trump denied ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and called for a congressional hearing to allow survivors of his abuse to tell their stories (Source: Bloomberg)

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Melania Trump denounces claims she was an Epstein victim — read and watch her full statement

First lady Melania Trump made a formal statement at the White House on Thursday, denying she was a victim of Jeffrey Epstein, and denying a friendship with the dead pedophile. Melania went on to attack the media's "mean-spirited attempts to defame [her] reputation.

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‘Mean-spirited’: Melania Trump rebukes reports about her ties to Epstein in rare public statement

'Individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility, and respect'

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