US First Lady Melania Trump has publicly denied ever having a relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, calling claims linking her to him "lies" and "defamatory."
In a rare address from the White House, she said she had never been friends with Epstein and only had "casual correspondence" with his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Melania Trump added that she and her husband, Donald Trump, merely attended some of the same social events as Epstein due to overlapping circles in New York and Palm Beach.
She also stressed that she was not introduced to her husband by Epstein, stating they met independently in 1998. While acknowledging a past email exchange with Maxwell, she described it as a trivial interaction with no deeper significance.
The first lady used the moment to call on Congress to hold public hearings focused on Epstein's victims, urging greater attention to survivors. "The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today," she said.