Epstein survivors issue critical statement responding to Melania Trump after she denied links

Melania Trump has issued a rare public statement denying any connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as survivors responded with a joint statement.

In an unusual appearance before reporters at the White House on Thursday (April 9), the first lady delivered a forceful denial of any ties to Epstein.

She said any claims linking her to him “need to end today”, a move analysts described as unexpected. The BBC reported it was also “unclear” what prompted her to address the issue publicly.

During her remarks, she called for Congress to hear directly from survivors of Epstein’s sex trafficking. She also rejected online rumors alleging she was introduced to Donald Trump through Epstein, describing the speculation as “mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation”.

She criticised what she called “unfounded and baseless lies” and “false smears”, accusing “politically motivated individuals and entities” of trying to “gain financially and climb politically” by spreading them.

Trump said she was not one of Epstein’s victims and claimed she only briefly “crossed paths” with him in 2000.

“I have never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims”, she said. “I was never involved in any capacity. I was not a participant.”

After the first lady urged Congress to bring survivors in for testimony, more than a dozen Epstein survivors issued a joint letter pushing back, saying the request placed the pressure back on them even though many have already told their stories publicly and through legal channels.

The group also renewed calls for the remaining Epstein files to be released in full.

“Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony. Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice,” the letter says.

“It also diverts attention from Pam Bondi, who must answer for withheld files and the exposure of survivors’ identities. Those failures continue to put lives at risk while shielding enablers,” the letter continues. “Survivors have done their part. Now it’s time for those in power to do theirs.”

In her statement, Trump said she encountered Epstein due to “overlapping in social circles” and maintained she had only a “casual correspondence” with Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking and other crimes connected to Epstein.

Later on Thursday, the first lady again urged lawmakers to provide Epstein’s survivors an opportunity to testify under oath before Congress, arguing that sworn testimony would create a permanent historical record.

She said: “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, we will have the truth.”