Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu --> Newsletters NPR Shop Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions The Best Music of 2025 Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions The Best Music of 2025 About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics In rare public statement, Melania Trump denies close ties to Jeffrey Epstein First Lady Melania Trump made a rare public statement on Thursday, saying she was not friends with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and wasn't introduced to President Trump by him. National In rare public statement, Melania Trump denies close ties to Jeffrey Epstein April 10, 20266:54 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition Saige Miller In rare public statement, Melania Trump denies close ties to Jeffrey Epstein Listen · 1:58 1:58 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5779768/nx-s1-9724690" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript First Lady Melania Trump made a rare public statement on Thursday, saying she was not friends with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and wasn't introduced to President Trump by him. Sponsor Message
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
We do not know exactly why first lady Melania Trump spoke out yesterday, but she certainly did. She denied ever having a relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and with his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. She also slammed reports and online rumors that she said connected her to Epstein.
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MELANIA TRUMP: The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today.
INSKEEP: Months ago, the Justice Department released some, but not all, files related to Epstein and Maxwell. And personal correspondence in those files mentions Melania and her husband, President Trump. NPR's Saige Miller has more.
SAIGE MILLER, BYLINE: For a first lady known for her mystique, it was a surprising moment to see her deliver a forceful answer to a question no one seemed to have asked.
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TRUMP: I am not Epstein's victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump.
MILLER: The first lady added she never traveled on his private jet or visited his island. Both Trumps have denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein's alleged crimes. The first lady also addressed an email she sent Maxwell that was released by the Justice Department.
TRUMP: My email reply to Maxwell cannot be categorized as anything more than casual correspondence.
MILLER: She stressed that fake images and statements of her and Epstein have been circulating for years. She cautioned people to not believe everything they see. Trump ended her statement by calling on Congress to let victims of Epstein testify.
TRUMP: Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes.
MILLER: It's unclear why the first lady decided to speak out now, but some Democrats in Congress have called on her to testify as part of the House Oversight's investigation into Epstein.
Saige Miller, NPR News. Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor MessageBecome an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{1167:function(e,n,c){e.exports=c(323)},323:function(e,n,c){"use strict";c.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([c.e(1),c.e(2),c.e(3),c.e(4),c.e(82)]).then(function(e){c(3),c(1140),c(116),c(94),c(52),c(493),c(239),c(102),c(104),c(1141),c(143),c(1142),c(238),c(48),c(1143)}.bind(null,c)).catch(c.oe)}},[[1167,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();