President Donald Trump has admitted that he did not recommend his wife, Melania, ‘s surprise press conference, in which she publicly denied any connection to Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The conference took place at the White House on Thursday, April 9, 2026. Trump said he knew she planned to make a statement but had no idea what she was going to say.
In a Friday interview with The New York Times, Trump said Melania was upset by repeated media reports claiming that Epstein was the one who introduced her to her future husband, something she strongly denies. He said he understood why she found it “very insulting” and felt she “had a right to talk about it.” Despite not recommending it, he gave her the go-ahead.
Trump recounted their conversation, saying, “I said, ‘If you want to do that, you can do that.’ I said if she wants to do it, I didn’t recommend it, but I said: If you want to do it…” He added, “But I said, ‘If you want to do it, do it.'” He mentioned the discussion lasted only “about two minutes” and admitted he might not have handled the statement in quite the same way himself.
Melania’s statement reignited an Epstein controversy Trump has been trying to move on from
Melania has consistently said she met Trump at a party in New York City in 1998. However, Paolo Zampolli, Trump’s former special envoy and a former modeling agent with ties to Epstein, claims he was the one who introduced them. He recalled, “I said: ‘Melania meet Donald, Donald meet Melania,’ and then I left the table because I had 300 guests.”
Melania has said she did not meet Epstein until 2000. That was when she, Trump, Epstein, and Maxwell were photographed together at Mar-a-Lago in February of that year. That photo has been a major source of the ongoing speculation about their connections.
During her press conference, Melania not only denied any relationship with Epstein or Maxwell but also called on Congress to allow Epstein’s victims to testify. She did not take questions after her remarks. Many observers noted that Melania’s appearance blew the Epstein story wide open again, just as it had begun to fade from headlines. Trump said she “did a good job” but acknowledged that her statement brought the controversy back into the spotlight.
When asked if the new headlines bothered him, he said, “No, I never get upset,” adding, “I don’t mind anything having to do with Epstein… The only thing I don’t like is I waste a lot of time” on the subject. According to ABC News, Marc Beckman, a senior adviser to Melania, said she “wanted to set the record straight.”Â
He said, “If she can’t stick up for herself, if she can’t defend herself and make sure that her reputation is impeccable, who will do it? Nobody’s done it to date.” He added that “She’s ready to fight.” Beckman said the timing came down to “enough is enough,” noting that fake images and stories linking Melania to Epstein had been circulating for years.
Beckman said Melania accomplished three things with her statement: she cleared her record, she stood up for Epstein’s victims, and she called on Congress to take action. He also said it was time for the public to focus on her work in areas like foster care and education.
The press was given no advance notice about the topic of Melania’s remarks, and some White House officials were reportedly caught off guard. While the West Wing knew she would be making a statement, the specific content came as a surprise to many. The Epstein case itself remains full of unanswered questions, including suspicious details surrounding Epstein’s death that have fueled public distrust for years.
A group of 13 Epstein survivors, along with relatives of another victim, responded to Melania’s call for testimony by accusing her of “shifting the burden onto survivors.” They stated, “Survivors have done their part. Now it’s time for those in power to do theirs.”
Published: Apr 11, 2026 06:45 am