Melania Trump first crossed paths with Jeffrey Epstein in the year 2000.
Posted by MAGA FOX 🇺🇸, Checked
- Sources
- 3 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
MAGA FOX 🇺🇸@real_MAGAFOXOct 29, 2026Multiple sources, including the primary White House statement by Melania Trump and Reuters, report that she said she first crossed paths with Epstein in 2000 at an event she attended with Donald Trump, and Snopes confirms a Feb. 12, 2000 photo showing them together.
What was said
… I am not Epstein's victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband by chance at the New York city party in 1998. This initial encounter with my husband is documented in 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 calculating on social media for years now. Be cautious about what you believe. …
What we found
Supports. The White House primary statement by Melania Trump says 'The first time I crossed paths with Epstein was in the year 2000, at an event Donald and I attended together.'[3]
Supports. Reuters reports she said she first 'crossed paths' with Epstein in 2000 at an event she attended with Donald Trump, five years before their marriage.[1]
Supports. Snopes reports an authentic photo taken Feb. 12, 2000 at Mar-a-Lago showing Donald Trump, Melania Knauss, Epstein and Maxwell together, independently corroborating a 2000 encounter.[2]
Context. ABC News and the House Judiciary Committee report (as summarized by Spectrum) note disputes over who introduced Melania to Donald Trump, but do not dispute the 2000 first encounter with Epstein.[4][5]
Context. Extraction fidelity: the claim omits the speaker's 'first time I crossed paths' qualifier phrasing only trivially; the core timing and encounter match the passage. The claim is that the first encounter was in 2000, which the sources report as her account and the photo supports.[3]
Sources
5 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 primary, 2 not rated
- 1Melania Trump denies any Epstein connection, seeks end to ...reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Real photo of Donald and Melania Trump with Epstein and Maxwell recirculates onlinesnopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3First Lady Melania Trump's Statementwhitehouse.gov · primary source · cited for: supports, context
- 4House Democrats say DOJ hiding Trump-Epstein assault evidencespectrumlocalnews.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 5What we know about Melania Trump and Jeffrey Epsteinabcnews.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Melania Trump was never friends with Jeffrey Epstein.Can’t tell
- Melania Trump stated she has never been friends with Jeffrey Epstein.True
- Melania Trump has never been on Jeffrey Epstein's plane.Can’t tell
- Melania Trump has never visited Jeffrey Epstein's private island.Can’t tell
- Melania Trump met Donald Trump at a party in New York City in 1998.True