Donald Trump has claimed he was blindsided by Melania's surprise White House address blasting 'smears' linking her to Jeffrey Epstein. The reason for the announcement was not immediately clear as there have not been any recent revelations or reporting linking Melania to Epstein. The First Lady, a model when she first met Trump, said she and the President encountered Epstein only within the New York-Palm Beach social set, calling such overlap 'common.' Trump and Melania met in 1998 at the Kit Kat Klub in New York when she was 28 years old. The First Lady told the room she first met Epstein in 2000 and was unaware of anything untoward; he was not publicly accused until 2005.

Source: Daily Mail April 10, 2026 00:36 UTC