On April 9, 2026, first lady Melania Trump delivered a public statement denouncing all alleged ties to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019.
"I have never been friends with Epstein," the first lady said.
Snopes has covered numerous false rumors surrounding an alleged relationship between Melania Trump and Epstein, though one circulated image of the first lady alongside Epstein was real.
Following her April 2026 statement, the image resurfaced online, garnering thousands of reactions.
The above photo, taken on Feb. 12, 2000, authentically depicts (from left) Donald Trump, Melania Trump (then Melania Knauss), Epstein and his longtime partner Ghislaine Maxwell, both of whom were later charged with sex trafficking minor girls. Though the photo is authentic, there is no evidence Melania Trump had any further relationship with Epstein.
The photo can be found on Getty Images, published by Davidoff Studios Photography. It's captioned:
Trump, Knauss, Epstein, & Maxwell At Mar-A-Lago
From left, American real estate developer Donald Trump and his girlfriend (and future wife), former model Melania Knauss, financier (and future convicted sex offender) Jeffrey Epstein, and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell pose together at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, February 12, 2000. (Photo by Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)
Trump mentioned the 2000 event in her April 2026 statement, saying:
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.
The relationship between Trump and Epstein has long been the focus of intense scrutiny, given that they shared a social circle both in New York and Florida.
"I've known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy," Trump is infamously quoted as saying of Epstein in an interview for New York magazine in 2002. "He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life."
Another photo by the same photography company captures the two men three years earlier in 1997, also at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.
(Getty Images)
However, after Epstein's criminal conviction for sex offenses and new charges for sex trafficking and Trump's foray into politics, the friendship apparently waned.
On July 9, 2019, the day after Epstein appeared in court for the second time on charges of sexual abuse of underage girls, Trump told reporters: "I had a falling out a long time ago with him. I don't think I've spoken to him in 15 years." He continued, "I was not a fan of his." Epstein hanged himself in jail while awaiting trial on the sex-trafficking charges.
We've previously reported on other images depicting the two men, including one that was AI-generated and another that was doctored. We've also previously fact-checked an authentic image of the first lady with Donald Trump and Maxwell, also from 2000.