If Melania Trump wanted people not to put her and Jeffery Epstein’s names in the same sentence, she’s failing miserably.
The first lady surprised the nation—and reportedly, much of the White House—when she delivered a surprise statement about her relationship with convicted sex offender Epstein on Thursday, April 9.
“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” Trump said. “I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice [Ghislaine] Maxwell.”
“The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility, and respect,” she continued, though who she was referring to remained unclear. “I do not object to their ignorance, but rather, I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.”
If Trump’s associations with Epstein had recently reentered the headlines, her speech would at least be more warranted. But instead, her statement left America scratching its head, and pointing at her and her husband’s proven connections to Epstein, particularly President Donald Trump and Epstein’s friendship in the 1990s.
It also brought renewed attention to the infamous birthday message and lewd drawing allegedly left for Epstein by President Trump in 2003, which read, “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.” President Trump denied writing the message and sued The Wall Street Journal’s parent companies for defamation after the outlet reported on the letter.
“I have never been friends with Epstein,” Melania Trump said. “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.”
Whether having mutual friends in the largest city in America is as “common” as Trump claims, her speech brought a new degree of scrutiny to her history with Epstein and his associates. Google Trends shows that searches for “Melania Trump Jeffrey Epstein” spiked after her speech, reaching a new all-time peak.
The speech was reportedly a rogue move by the first lady. In a brief phone call with MS NOW, President Trump revealed he didn’t know about his wife’s statement ahead of time, adding that “she didn’t know [Epstein].” Another White House official added that many staffers were also surprised by her speech.
Emails with Ghislaine Maxwell
In her statement, Melania Trump gave special attention to her relationship with Epstein’s former partner and convicted child sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell, apparently referencing emails she and Maxwell exchanged between 2002 and 2003.
“My email reply to Maxwell cannot be categorized as anything more than casual correspondence,” Trump said. “My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trivial note.”
Though Trump referred to her own message to Maxwell as a “reply” multiple times, the exchange appears to have been initiated by Trump based on her greeting.
“Dear G! How are you?” Trump’s email began. “I know you are very busy flying all over the world. How was Palm Beach? I cannot wait to go down. Give me a call when you are back in NY. Have a great time! Love, Melania,” she concluded.
Maxwell replied, calling Trump “sweet pea” and writing, “I still do not think I have time to see you sadly. I will try and call though.” Maxwell signed her email, “Gx.”
A call to action
In a rare reach across the aisle, Trump closed her speech with a request for Congress that Democrats have long been advocating for.
“Now is the time for Congress to act,” Melania said, asking for a public Congressional hearing for Epstein’s victims.
“Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public, if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the Congressional Record,” she said. “Then, and only then, will we have the truth.”