It was unclear whether the president had prior knowledge of Melania Trump’s plans to speak on the subject.
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On Thursday afternoon, first lady Melania Trump gave a speech in which she said she had no direct associations with disgraced convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, reigniting the Epstein scandal for the Trump administration.
It was known earlier this week that the first lady would be giving a speech, but the subject matter was not announced beforehand. In her missive, Trump said she wanted to speak out against purported “lies” being made about her relating to Epstein and Maxwell.
“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” Trump said, adding that those promulgating the commentaries “are devoid of ethical standards, humility, and respect.”
Very few, if any, reputable media outlets have pushed the accusations that Trump spoke about, which included rumors about her purportedly being introduced to her husband, President Donald Trump, by Epstein on the latter’s plane. A statement from a former employee of Epstein’s did suggest that the couple met that way, but other past reports demonstrate the two met at a party in 1998, unrelated to the disgraced financier, although Donald Trump was friends with Epstein at the time.
Melania Trump’s statement was unusual, in that she hasn’t faced much in terms of scrutiny, compared to her husband, regarding her personal connection to Epstein.
Trump claimed she never had a friendship with Epstein or Maxwell. She also said a 2002 email to Maxwell from her was an “email reply” that shouldn’t be “categorized as anything more than casual correspondence.”
“My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trivial note,” Trump insisted.
However, the email’s text, revealed in a recent round of the Epstein files being released, suggests it was more personal than Trump lets on.
Melania Trump asks Maxwell, addressed as “G” in the message, about her time in Palm Beach, and relates to her that she “cannot wait to go down” to the area herself. She comments positively about Epstein’s inclusion in a magazine, and tells Maxwell to make contact with her in the near future.
“Give me a call when you are back in NY. Have a great time!” Trump wrote, signing off with “Love” at the end of the email.
