Melania Trump's First Meeting With Donald Trump Questioned Amid Jeffrey Epstein Scandal
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Melania and Donald Trump’s origin story is being questioned again amid the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein scandal. There have been several versions of how the duo met and where they went on their first date, but author Michael Wolff is adding more mystery to the story.
On the Daily Beast Podcast on July 26, the Donald Trump biographer claimed that Melania was not only “very involved” in Epstein’s friend group, but she also met her future husband through the convicted pedophile. “She’s introduced by a model agent, both of whom Trump and Epstein are involved with. She’s introduced to Trump that way. Epstein [knew] her well,” Wolff alleged.
The couple’s link was reportedly ID Models founder Paolo Zampolli, who was also associated with Epstein and convicted partner Ghislaine Maxwell. The Epstein social circle seemed to have deep New York City ties, and Wolff is claiming that Donald Trump was one of them.
The All or Nothing: How Trump Recaptured America author interviewed Epstein in August 2017, where he bragged that he was Donald Trump’s “closest friend.” Epstein also offered up this TMI nugget about Donald Trump and Melania: “The first time he slept with her was on my plane,” per the Daily Beast.
Melania might be feeling the heat because on July 18, she shared an excerpt from her memoir, Melania, on X with the chapter titled, “Hi, I’m Donald Trump.” She is standing by her story that they first met in New York City at the Kit Kat Club, not through Epstein.
Of course, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung hit back at Wolff’s claims to the media outlet.
“Michael Wolff is a lying sack of s–t and has been proven to be a fraud,” he said. “He routinely fabricates stories originating from his sick and warped imagination, only possible because he has a severe and debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted his peanut-sized brain.”
Still, Melania has been called out before about her beginnings with Donald Trump. In September 2024, she sat down with Fox News to discuss their rather business-like first date. He took her on a visit to Bedford, New Jersey, where he wanted to buy property.
“And it was very nice, because we were two of us alone in the car for hour, hour and a half, and it’s no other noise, no other people, because at that time, he was already known and a celebrity,” she continued. “So, it was really nice to be just two of us.”
In 2016, she shared a very different tale to Harper’s Bazaar, where it was a much trendier night out. “Remember Moomba?” she asked the reporter. “It was a great place, wasn’t it? I remember that night like it was two months ago.” Moomba was a NYC hotspot frequented by the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz. It ushered in the lounge era, overshadowing the city’s long history with clubs. The spot closed in April 2001.
The confusing timeline of Donald and Melania’s first meeting only gets murkier as the Epstein saga continues to unfold, and the public may never know the real story in the wake of the scandal.
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