Trump says Melania ‘had a right’ to talk about Epstein but admits he might have handled surprise statement differently
Donald Trump said he might have handled First Lady Melania Trump’s speech denying her links to Jeffrey Epstein differently, but his wife had the ‘right’ to do it her way.
The president spoke to The New York Times by phone Thursday after his wife’s shocking speech.
‘Would I do it this way? “Maybe not, maybe I don’t know,” he said.
‘I said, ‘If you want to do this, you can do this.’ If he wants to do it, I didn’t recommend it, but I said, okay, if you want to do it, I said.’
Trump said he found it “very insulting” that rumors were circulating that the first lady was a victim of Epstein or was friends with Ghislaine Maxwell.
‘He didn’t meet me through Jeffrey Epstein. And I could understand his feelings. ‘He had a right to speak out about it because the fake news portrays it very inaccurately.’
Trump noted that they discussed whether or not he would make the speech for “about two minutes.”
‘It wasn’t a big argument. I had no problems. “I actually thought he did a good job,” he said.
Donald Trump says he may have handled first lady Melania Trump’s speech denying any connection to Jeffrey Epstein differently, but his wife ‘has every right’ to do it her way
The president spoke to The New York Times by phone Thursday after his wife’s shock speech.
President Trump said that regardless of what he thought of the address, his wife felt she had the right to do so.
‘I thought he had a right to talk about it. “It doesn’t bother me,” Trump added in his surprise speech in the foyer of the White House.
Trump added, ‘I didn’t know what the statement was, but I knew he was going to make a statement.’
He added that it does not concern him if the story comes up again and said: ‘I never get upset.’
Melania has made it clear that there is no connection between herself and the billionaire pedophile.
“I am not a victim of Epstein,” the first lady said in a speech Thursday afternoon. ‘Epstein didn’t introduce me to Donald Trump. ‘I met my husband by chance at a party in New York in 1998.’
Trump and Melania met at New York’s Kit Kat Klub that year, when the former supermodel was 28. Modeling agency boss Paolo Zampolli, who serves as Trump’s special envoy for global partnerships, claims he introduced the couple. They later got married in 2005.
‘I was never friends with Epstein,’ he added.
“I was never friends with Epstein,” Melania Trump said in her speech at the White House.
Trump and the financier chatting with Belgian supermodel Ingrid Seynhaeve at a Victoria’s Secret party at Manhattan’s Laura Belle club in April 1997
The announcement came as a shock, as there had been no recent announcement linking her to the disgraced financier who the government said committed suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Melania also made an eyebrow-raising statement that Epstein was not working ‘alone’.
‘As the scandal became increasingly politicized, many prominent male executives resigned. However, this does not mean that the managers are guilty. “We must still work openly and transparently to uncover the truth,” he said.
In a brief interview with MS NOW, President Trump said he “knew nothing” about Melania’s statement beforehand and added that he “didn’t know her,” referring to Epstein.
Melania looked quite nervous and shaky during the speech, mostly looking down at her notes. The First Lady did not take any questions before leaving the podium.
She claimed that although she and the President had overlapping social circles with Epstein, they did not have a relationship. He also said he never had a relationship with Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
He told the room that he first met Epstein in 2000 and was unaware of any negativity. He was not charged with any crimes until years later in 2005.
The first lady said she had seen “fake images and statements” on social media for years linking her to Epstein and urged viewers to “be careful about what you believe.”
Melania also responded to an email she sent to Ghislaine Maxwell that was published in January, saying her response was meant to be polite and did not indicate an intimate relationship.
‘These images and stories are completely false. “I am not a witness or an anonymous witness in connection with any of Epstein’s crimes,” he said.
‘The false smears about me from mean-spirited and politically motivated individuals and entities looking to cause damage to my good name to gain financially and climb politically must stop,’ the First Lady continued. ‘I and my lawyers have successfully fought these baseless and baseless lies and will continue to protect my solid reputation without hesitation.’
In a surprising move, Melania called on Congress to hold hearings with victims of Epstein’s abuse.
“I urge Congress to provide a public hearing that centers on the women victimized by Epstein, especially the survivors,” she added.
‘First Lady Melania Trump has spoken out because enough is enough. Marc Beckman, Special Senior Advisor to First Lady Melania Trump, explained the timing of the shocking update to the Daily Mail.
“It is time for the public and the media to focus on her incredible accomplishments as First Lady, the lives she positively impacted, and her commitment to our nation,” he added.
Melania also responded to an email she sent to Maxwell that was published in January, saying her response was meant to be polite and did not indicate an intimate relationship.
