Melania Trump’s address on Thursday has brought up one question: How did the First Lady meet the love of her life – President Donald Trump. Speaking from the White House, the 55-year-old declared that she had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, or that she herself was a victim of the convicted sex offender.
“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.”
It was not clear why the Slovenian-born former model decided to give the public statement, and she did not detail any specific allegations about her and the late, convicted sex offender.
Read More: ‘Not his victim’: Melania Trump denies links with ‘disgraceful’ Jeffrey Epstein
Melania and Donald Trump had previously been photographed with Epstein, but she said that she had met her husband independently two years prior to meeting Epstein.
“I am not Epstein’s victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump,” Melania Trump said.
James Carville’s old claim
A resurfaced claim linking Melania and Donald Trump to disgraced financier Epstein was withdrawn in August 2025 after legal pushback, prompting a public apology from Democratic strategist James Carville.
The controversy began when Carville discussed, and amplified, a debunked theory suggesting that Melania was introduced to Trump through an Epstein-connected modeling agent.
Read More: Read Melania Trump’s full speech about Jeffrey Epstein ties – top quotes and revelations
The claim appeared in a recent episode of his ‘Political War Room’ podcast and was further highlighted in a YouTube clip titled ‘James Carville: The Epstein Connection – Trump and Melania’.
Following a complaint from the First Lady’s legal team, Carville removed the video, edited the episode, and issued an on-air apology.
“In last week’s podcast episode, we spoke with Judd Legum,” Carville said. “After the episode, we received a letter from Melania Trump’s lawyer. He took issue with our title of one of those YouTube videos from that episode and a couple of comments I made about the first lady. We took a look at what they complained about, and we took down the video and edited out those comments from the episode. I also take back these statements and apologize.”
Melania Trump later shared images of the apology transcript on social media, alongside a thumbnail of the removed video marked with a red cross.
“First Lady Melania Trump’s attorneys are actively ensuring immediate retractions and apologies by those who spread malicious, defamatory falsehoods,” aide Nick Clemens said, while also pointing to her memoir as the definitive account of how she met the former president.
How did Melania meet Donald?
In her book Melania, she describes their first meeting at a New York Fashion Week event in September 1998 at the Kit Kat Klub in Manhattan.
“I saw my friend wave at someone behind me. When I turned around, I noticed a man and an attractive blonde woman approaching us,” she wrote. “‘Hi. I’m Donald Trump,’ the man said when he reached my table.”
She went on to detail the immediate connection between the two.
“From the moment our conversation began, I was captivated by his charm and easygoing nature,” she wrote. “I found myself drawn to his magnetic energy.”
According to multiple accounts, Trump, who attended the event with another date, asked for Melania’s phone number, but she declined and instead requested his. He reportedly provided several personal contact numbers, and she reached out days later, leading to their first date.
(With inputs from AFP)