During an event honoring the freed American-Israeli hostages Keith Siegel and his wife Aviva, First Lady Melania Trump found herself in an uncomfortable exchange with the press on Wednesday. The questions centered around the alleged prison treatment of Ghislaine Maxwell.
Keith was held captive for over 480 days following a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, and was released last year. Aviva was also captured and later released during a brief cease-fire in November 2023.
Although the press briefing aimed to highlight the hostages’ experiences, Melania faced challenging questions about the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse who have called for Maxwell to be transferred to a maximum-security prison.
Maxwell was found guilty of sex trafficking in 2021 for assisting Epstein in procuring and grooming victims.
She is serving a 20-year sentence at a low-security Federal Prison Camp (FPC) in Bryan, Texas.
Whistleblowers have claimed Maxwell is receiving preferential treatment, including access to recreation zones after hours, custom meals, and a special area for visitors with various refreshments.
Reports from the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee indicated she was even allowed to play with a puppy once, highlighting a stark contrast to the typical prison environment.
During the press briefing, a reporter asked Melania, “There’s a call from many Epstein survivors that Ghislaine Maxwell move to a high security prison. Do you know why that happened?”
Attempting to redirect the conversation back to the hostages, Melania replied, “We are here celebrating the release and the life of these two incredible people, so let’s honor that.”
The briefing proceeded, but raised eyebrows when Melania mentioned her newly released documentary during the discussion.
“After Aviva was freed, she called me, wanted to see me and we set up a meeting in New York,” Melania recounted.
“It was an emotional meeting, and it is captured on camera and available to see in my film, Melania.”
When questioned about whether it was appropriate to promote her $75 million Amazon MGM Studios documentary during an official White House event, Melania firmly responded, “This is not a promotion.”
“We are here celebrating the release of the hostages, of Aviva and Keith,” Melania explained. “They were in Washington, D.C., and they called me. They said they would like to come over to thank me and to give hugs, and that’s why we are here. It’s nothing to do with promotion.”