Updated April 10, 2026 — Washington
First Lady Melania Trump on Thursday denied any personal relationship with Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell and urged Congress to hold a public, sworn hearing focused on Epstein’s survivors.
In a six‑minute livestream from the White House — her first public remarks after the Justice Department released a large volume of Epstein-related records — the first lady said survivors should be given “the opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress” and that their testimony should be permanently entered into the congressional record. She said such hearings are the path to getting “the truth.”
Her call for a public forum drew a measured response from Democrats on Capitol Hill. Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said her appeal was notable and consistent with requests lawmakers have been making for months. He said lawmakers welcome hearing directly from survivors and that her statement highlighted the fact that “there are still powerful men out there” and more stories remain to be told.
President Trump told MS NOW he had not been informed of the first lady’s plans before she spoke. The first lady’s spokesperson said the West Wing knew she intended to issue a statement but would not confirm whether people were briefed on its timing or subject matter.
Observers noted it was not immediately clear why the first lady waited to speak until Thursday, days after the DOJ’s document release. Photographs of the Trumps with Epstein and Maxwell have circulated for years, and some emails involving the first lady and Maxwell were among records released by the Justice Department.
A spokesperson cited senior adviser Marc Beckman’s comment to the New York Post that Melania Trump spoke now because “enough is enough” and to counter what they called persistent falsehoods, while urging attention to her work and accomplishments as first lady.
In her remarks, the first lady said Epstein did not introduce her to Donald Trump and described the brief email exchange with Maxwell shown in the DOJ files as a casual, polite message. She said she first met her husband by chance at a New York City party in 1998, and that she first encountered Epstein in 2000 at an event they both attended. She denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, said she was never involved in his activities, and denied ever being on his plane or visiting his island.
More than a dozen people who say they survived Epstein’s abuse responded Thursday, saying they had already shown courage by coming forward, filing reports and testifying. The survivors’ statement criticized the first lady’s call for more testimony as shifting responsibility onto victims and described the move as asking too much under “politicized conditions that protect those with power.”
Reporters Jane Chick and Sara Cook contributed to this report.