If there were a Streisand Effect Hall of Fame, commemorating those who call attention to things they would much prefer people ignore, first lady Melania Trump would have earned her induction on Thursday afternoon. In a surprise statement delivered in the White House, she declared: “The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today.”
Such words are, of course, tantamount to search engine catnip. The fact that President Donald Trump and White House staffers were unaware that Melania Trump planned to speak out is also intriguing. But first let’s consider the context: The first lady has appeared in public only occasionally during the president’s second term and often doesn’t speak. So a formal address to cameras, even one lasting only five minutes, will attract attention.
Most Americans who saw it probably said, “Huh?”
The Trumps were seen socializing years ago with Epstein, the financier and convicted sex offender who died in jail in 2019 awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The Trumps were also seen with Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021 for her role in helping to procure victims for Epstein. But it is Donald Trump who was pals with Epstein. The president has strenuously denied wrongdoing in relation to Epstein, but it seems theirs was the kind of friendship to which girlfriends and wives are mostly not invited. As Trump wrote in the infamous 2003 birthday message released by the Epstein estate, “A pal is a wonderful thing … and may every day be another wonderful secret.” (Trump denies he wrote the letter and sued The Wall Street Journal after it reported on the message’s existence.)
The first point Melania Trump made Thursday pushed back against the notion that she was somehow implicated in the scandal.
In her statement, Melania Trump downplayed the couple’s association 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.” This flies in the face of the men’s yearslong friendship. It also is not exactly true. Millions of people who live in New York City never socialized with Jeffrey Epstein, because it’s a very particular social circle that contained both him and the Trumps.
That elitism is part of what has driven this scandal forward. There is a world of wealthy and powerful men who believe, effectively, that rules and laws are for the masses and that the rest of us are basically here to serve them. Epstein’s enormous web of relationships has revealed both how this milieu operates and how many among the wealthy and powerful Epstein knew appear to have been willing to turn a blind eye when Epstein and others in his network crossed ethical or legal lines.
The Epstein files figured in Melania Trump’s statement as well. “To be clear, I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice [Ghislaine] Maxwell. My email reply to Maxwell cannot be categorized as anything more than casual correspondence,” she said, as though everyone knew what she was talking about. “My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trivial note.”
This no doubt prompted searches for Melania Trump’s email to Maxwell, sent in October 2002. “Dear G,” it began, in what reads not like a reply but an exchange Melania Trump initiated. “I know you are very busy flying all over the world. How was Palm Beach? I cannot wait to go down. Give me a call when you are back in NY. Have a great time! Love, Melania.”
Maxwell wrote back, calling Melania Trump “Sweet pea” and saying that even though she was returning to New York briefly, “I still do not think I have time to see you sadly. I will try and call though.” That sounds like women who were more than passing acquaintances.
On Thursday, Melania Trump did not just inadvertently direct people to the Epstein files, she also informed the world that there’s some wild stuff on the internet if you want to look for it. “Numerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been circulating on social media for years now,” she said. “Be cautious about what you believe.” Good advice, especially from the wife of someone who could fairly be called the world’s most important superspreader of misinformation on social media.
The first lady’s statement concluded with a genuinely worthwhile call: for Congress to hold public hearings where Epstein’s victims can tell their stories. This is something that congressional Democrats have demanded but that Republicans, who control Congress, have declined to do.
We may never know what exactly prompted the timing of the first lady’s remarks. But a few things are clear: If Melania Trump wants to become a real advocate for Epstein’s victims, that would be great. She has her own bully pulpit, and she could shame congressional Republicans into giving victims the forum they deserve. But it doesn’t seem to be the horrors of Epstein’s crimes that led her to speak out now, years after his death and Maxwell’s conviction; the first point Melania Trump made Thursday pushed back against the notion that she was somehow implicated in the scandal.
“The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect,” she said at the beginning of her speech. Maybe so. That’s also a description that could apply to lots of people — even some in the White House.
Paul Waldman is a journalist and author focused on politics and culture.