First lady Melania Trump issued a rare public statement Thursday, denying close ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, prompting a wave of reactions.
Speaking on camera from the White House Cross Hall, Trump called accusations that she is connected to Epstein or his crimes “false smears.”
“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said. “The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility, and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but rather, I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.”
“I have never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims,” she continued. “I was never involved in any capacity.”
The first lady also urged Congress “to act” by holding public hearings at which Epstein’s victims could testify.
The six-minute address from Trump sparked widespread reaction, including criticism from Epstein’s victims, who accused the first lady of “shifting the burden.”
“Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony,” a group of 13 people, including the siblings of the late Virginia Giuffre, a vocal Epstein victim, said in a statement. “Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility not justice.”
“Survivors have done their part. Now it’s time for those in power to do theirs,” the statement concluded.
Trump did not say why she spoke out Thursday, bringing renewed attention to an issue overshadowed by the war in Iran.
Marc Beckman, her senior adviser, said in a statement to Reuters, “First Lady Melania Trump spoke out now because enough is enough. The lies must stop.”
First ladies have occasionally addressed the nation on political issues, but Trump’s statement “took guts,” according to Michael LaRosa, former press secretary to first lady Jill Biden, per Reuters.
“A first lady in contemporary times has not publicly addressed controversy in this way, and certainly never from the state floor of the White House, so this took guts,” LaRosa said.
He continued, “Melania is very intentional and deliberative on the frequency of her appearances, and I think this event is going to speak so loudly that I don’t think she will need to address this again.”
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., a member of the House Oversight Committee, said the first lady could clear her name by testifying, citing former first lady Hillary Clinton’s testimony on Epstein earlier this year.
“Honestly, if she wants to clear her name, she should come testify before our committee herself under oath, because it’s clear that that’s what she was trying to do,” Subramanyam told CNN.
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel also weighed in on the timing of Trump’s decision to address her alleged ties to Epstein.
During his monologue on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Thursday night, the comedian said Trump’s address was a surprise to her husband, President Donald Trump, and left him blindsided
“He didn’t know she was going to do it before she did it, which shows you just how smoothly things are running over there,” Kimmel said.
“He spent the past six weeks trying to bomb this Epstein story out of the headlines. Two days after the ceasefire, she puts it right back on top,” he added. “She must really hate him. I don’t know how else to explain it.”
The comedian also criticized the first lady’s claim she had never been friends with Epstein, sharing a widely circulated photo of Melania Trump and Donald Trump with the late sex offender.
He added, “By the way, while you’re explaining how much you didn’t know Epstein, any particular reason you can think of that he had a picture of you guys on display at his house? Maybe this is the photo that came with the frame, I don’t know.”
“I, for one, when I see this, I think, well, these two don’t know each other at all,” Kimmel said.
