Donald Trump said he might have handled First Lady Melania Trump's speech denying a 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.
'Would I have done it that way? Perhaps not, perhaps, I don't know,' he said.
'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, I let it be her, I said, if you want to do it.'
Trump said the First Lady 'finds it very insulting' that there were rumors she was a victim of Epstein or friendly with Ghislaine Maxwell.
'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.
'Good afternoon. The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today. The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but rather, I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation. I have never been friends with Epstein. Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach.
To be clear, I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice, Maxwell. My email reply to Maxwell cannot be characterized as anything more than casual correspondence. My polite reply to her email doesn't amount to anything more than a trivial note. 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.
This initial encounter with my husband is documented in a detail in my book, Melania. The first time I crossed paths with Epstein was in the year 2000, at an event Donald and I attended together. At the time, I had never met Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal undertakings. Numerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been circulating on social media for years now.
Be cautious about what you believe. These images and stories are completely false. I'm not a witness or a named witness in connection with any of Epstein's crimes. My name has never appeared in court documents, depositions, victim statements, or FBI interviews surrounding the Epstein matter. I have never had any knowledge of Epstein's abuse of his victims. I was never involved in any capacity - I was not a participant. I was never on Epstein's plane and never visited his private island.
I have never been legally accused or convicted of a crime in connection with Epstein's sex trafficking, abuse of minors and other repulsive behavior. 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.
My attorneys and I have fought these unfounded and baseless lies with success, and will continue to maintain my sound reputation without hesitation. To date, several individuals and companies have been legally obligated to publicly apologize and retract their lies about me, such as Daily Beast, James Carville and Harper Collins UK. Now is the time for Congress to act. Epstein was not alone.
Several prominent male executives resigned from their powerful positions after this matter became widely politicized. Of course, this doesn't amount to guilt, but we still must work openly and transparently to uncover the truth. I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with the public hearing specifically centered around the survivors. Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony.
Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes. And then her testimony should be permanently entered into the Congressional Record. Then, and only then, we will have the truth. Thank you.'
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