A former Melania Trump associate claimed in a now-deleted recording that she met Trump through Epstein, an account the first lady has denied

A former associate of Melania Trump has started a new controversy by claiming the first lady worked as an escort for Jeffrey Epstein and met the president through the convicted sex offender. The allegation comes from Amanda Ungaro, a former Brazilian model who shared a recording on X. The recording goes against the long-standing story of how the couple first met.

The accepted account is that Melania Knauss met her future husband while working for modeling agent Paolo Zampolli in New York. For years, Zampolli has said he was the one who brought them together, stating that he introduced the pair at a party in 1998. Ungaro, who has been in a long custody battle with Zampolli, claims he is lying.

In the recorded message, which has since been removed from the platform, Ungaro alleges that Epstein was the one who actually introduced them. “Let’s tell the public you never was the one introducing Melania to Trump. It was Jeffrey Epstein, as she was escort of Jeffrey Epstein. That’s how she met Donald Trump,” Ungaro says in the audio, according to The Daily Beast. She also claims that Zampolli admitted this to her privately over the course of their 20-year relationship.

The first lady’s denial and Zampolli’s response to the allegations

The first lady has repeatedly denied any such connection. During a surprise press conference held on April 9, 2026, Melania Trump rejected what she described as mean-spirited and politically motivated lies linking her to Epstein. She stated, “I am not Epstein’s victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband, by chance, at a New York City party in 1998.” 

She also said that she first met Epstein in 2000, at an event she attended with the president. The first lady has spoken out publicly before, including a rare statement she made against a joke ahead of the WHCA dinner. Zampolli, who currently serves as a Special Envoy for Global Partnerships and sits on the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, has strongly denied Ungaro’s claims. 

He called the allegations a disgrace and expressed concern for his ex-partner’s health, suggesting she needs therapy. On his role in the couple’s history, Zampolli has previously offered to testify before Congress to confirm his version of events, insisting he simply introduced the two at a table while hosting 300 guests.

The recording was first shared on social media by independent journalist Anthony Andrews. The post was deleted, and Andrews said that unusual things have been happening in the background. Zampolli has threatened legal action against the journalist and has dismissed the claims as possibly AI-generated, which Andrews has firmly rejected.

This is not the first time Ungaro has come up in connection with the Trumps. She previously made headlines for accusing Zampolli of using his political influence to have her arrested by immigration authorities, a claim that both Zampolli and the Department of Homeland Security have denied.

While the first lady stands by her version of the timeline, records from the Justice Department indicate that a former assistant to Epstein previously told the FBI that the financier introduced the couple. Despite these competing accounts, the official story remains that the meeting was a chance encounter in 1998. Melania Trump has also drawn attention for her public remarks, including a speech in which she addressed Donald Trump as the commander-in-chief.