Former President Donald Trump recently expressed that while he might have approached First Lady Melania Trump’s speech regarding her alleged connections to Jeffrey Epstein differently, he respected her decision to address the matter in her own way.

In a phone interview with The New York Times, Trump commented on his wife’s unexpected remarks made on Thursday, addressing the controversy surrounding Epstein.

“Would I have done it that way? Maybe, maybe not, I’m not sure,” he remarked. “I told her, ‘If you want to do it, you can.’ It wasn’t my suggestion, but I supported her choice if she felt compelled to speak.”

The former president noted that Melania found the speculation about her involvement with Epstein or her association with Ghislaine Maxwell to be highly offensive.

“She didn’t meet me through Jeffrey Epstein, and I understand her frustration,” he explained. “She had every right to address it, especially since the media often misrepresents her.”

‘She didn’t meet me through Jeffrey Epstein. And I could understand her feelings. She had a right to talk about it, because the fake news covers her so inaccurately.’ 

Trump noted that they discussed whether or not she would make the speech ‘for about two minutes.’ 

‘It wasn’t a big discussion. I had no problem. I thought she actually did a good job,’ he said.

Donald Trump said he might have handled First Lady Melania Trump’s speech denying any connection to Jeffrey Epstein differently but said his wife ‘had a right’ to do it her way 

The President spoke on the phone with The New York Times following his wife’s shock address on Thursday 

President Trump said that regardless of what he thought about the address, he felt his wife was in the right to do it.  

‘I thought she had a right to talk about it. It doesn’t bother me,’ Trump added of the surprise speech at the White House entrance hall. 

Trump added that he ‘didn’t know what the statement was but I knew she was going to make a statement.’ 

He added that bringing the story back into the news didn’t concern him, saying: ‘I never get upset.’

Melania made it clear that there were no links between herself and the billionaire pedophile. 

‘I am not Epstein’s victim,’ the First Lady stated during the address on Thursday afternoon. ‘Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband by chance at a New York City party in 1998.’

Trump and Melania met that year at the Kit Kat Klub in New York when the former supermodel was 28 years old. Paolo Zampolli, a modeling agency boss who is serving as Trump’s special envoy for global partnerships, claims he introduced the couple. They later married in 2005. 

‘I’ve never been friends with Epstein,’ she added. 

‘I’ve never been friends with Epstein,’ Melania Trump said during an address at the White House 

Trump and the financier chatting to 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 not been recent revelations linking her to the disgraced financier, who the government says committed suicide while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges in August 2019.

Melania also made the eyebrow-raising remark that Epstein did not work ‘alone.’

‘Several prominent male executives have resigned as the scandal became increasingly politicized. Though that does not amount to the executives being guilty. We still must work openly and transparently to uncover the truth,’ she said.

In a brief interview with MS NOW, President Trump said he didn’t ‘know anything about’ Melania’s statement ahead of time, adding ‘she didn’t know him,’ referring to Epstein. 

Melania appeared highly nervous during the speech and was shaking, largely looking down at her notes. The First Lady did not take any questions before walking away from the podium. 

She claimed that though she and the President had overlapping social circles with Epstein, they did not have a relationship. She also said that she never associated with Epstein’s criminal accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. 

She told the room that she first met Epstein in 2000 and that she was unaware of anything untoward. He was not accused of any crime until years later in 2005.

The First Lady said she had seen ‘fake images and statements’ linking her to Epstein on social media for years and urged viewers to ‘be cautious about what you believe.’ 

Melania also addressed an email she had sent to Ghislaine Maxwell that was published in January, saying that her response was to be polite and it did not indicate a close relationship 

‘These images and stories are completely false. I’m not a witness or unnamed witness in connection with any of Epstein’s crimes,’ she 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. ‘My attorneys and I have fought these unfounded and baseless lies with success, and will continue to maintain my sound reputation without hesitation.’

In a surprising move, Melania called on Congress to hold hearings with victims of Epstein’s abuse. 

‘I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors,’ she added.

‘First Lady Melania Trump spoke out now because enough is enough. The lies must stop,’ Marc Beckman, Exclusive Senior Advisor to First Lady Melania Trump, told the Daily Mail of the timing of the shocking update. 

‘It is time for the public and media to focus on her incredible achievements as First Lady, the lives she has positively impacted, and her commitment to our nation,’ he added. 

Melania also addressed an email she had sent to Maxwell that was published in January, saying that her response was to be polite and it did not indicate a close relationship.