Melania Trump has been accused of \u201cshifting the burden\u201d onto sex offender Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s survivors after her extraordinary statement at the White House.<\/p>\n
As part of her statement distancing herself from the disgraced financier, the first lady also called on Congress to take sworn testimony in a public hearing from Epstein victims. Several victims did meet with the House oversight committee in a closed session last fall.<\/p>\n
But on Thursday evening in a joint statement released to the media, a group of survivors said the first lady had moved to \u201cprotect those in power\u201d.<\/p>\n
They accused her of \u201cshifting the burden onto survivors under politicized conditions to protect those with power\u201d.<\/p>\n
The statement read:<\/p>\n
double quotation markSurvivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony.<\/p>\n
Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice.<\/p>\n
It added:<\/p>\n
double quotation markIt also diverts attention from [former attorney general] Pam Bondi, who must answer for withheld files and the exposure of survivors\u2019 identities.<\/p>\n
Those failures continue to put lives at risk while shielding enablers. Survivors have done their part. Now it\u2019s time for those in power to do theirs.<\/p>\n
The first lady told reporters on Thursday that she \u201cnever had a relationship\u201d with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell<\/a>.<\/p>\n It was unclear which specific accusations spurred the first lady to respond publicly. She delivered her scripted remarks at a podium in the same room Donald Trump<\/a> used to address the nation on the war in Iran last week.<\/p>\n \u201cI [have] never been friends with Epstein,\u201d Trump said in her statement. \u201cI am not Epstein\u2019s victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n The first lady went on to say that she and the president were invited to the same parties as Epstein \u201cfrom time to time\u201d as \u201coverlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach\u201d. But she specifically denied that her emails to Maxwell were anything more than \u201ccasual correspondence\u201d.<\/p>\n Read the full story here:<\/p>\n In other developments:<\/p>\n The push from House Democrats<\/a> to pass a war powers resolution by unanimous consent failed yesterday, after the pro forma speaker, Republican Chris Smith, did not recognize Democrats. It was always a tall order, given that pushback from even a single member would require Democrats to pursue a formal vote on the resolution.<\/p>\n While it\u2019s largely a symbolic move, Democrats in both chambers have vowed to hold votes again when Congress returns from recess next week. On the steps of the US Capitol, lower chamber Democrats appeared confident that when Congress returns from recess next week, they will have at least a couple of House GOP members who are willing to buck their party and pass the resolution.<\/p>\n Donald Trump told NBC News<\/a> that he is \u201cvery optimistic\u201d a peace deal with Iran was within reach as a diplomatic delegation led by his vice-president JD Vance prepared to head to Pakistan for high-stakes talks aimed at ending the war this weekend. Iran\u2019s leaders \u201ctalk much differently when you\u2019re at a meeting than they do to the press. They\u2019re much more reasonable,\u201d the president said, in line with his administration\u2019s narrative that there\u2019s a disconnect between what Tehran says publicly and privately.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.09 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n Melania Trump\u2019s surprise appearance at the White House on Thursday \u2013 to announce that she \u2018never had a relationship\u2019 with the late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein<\/a> and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell \u2013 put Epstein back on the political agenda when focus had been firmly on the US and Israel\u2019s war in Iran.<\/p>\n The intervention came at a difficult time for her husband, Donald Trump<\/a>, as the fragile ceasefire agreed between the US and Iran seemed to be at risk of falling apart, and as US lawmakers are raising the alarm over the president\u2019s mental stability.<\/p>\n In today\u2019s edition of The Latest podcast, Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian US editor, Betsy Reed, Trump\u2019s rhetoric in the Iran<\/a> war, and whether there is anything to be hopeful about in US politics.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.46 EDT<\/p>\n Trump says Iranians only alive ‘to negotiate’ and US is ‘loading up the ships’ in event of no deal<\/p>\n Donald Trump has said that the Iranians \u201chave no cards\u201d and the only reason they are alive \u201cis to negotiate\u201d.<\/p>\n In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president said:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe Iranians don\u2019t seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways. The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!<\/p>\n It follows Trump giving an interview to the New York Post, in which he said the US is loading its warships with the \u201cbest weapons\u201d in case talks with Tehran \u2013 set to begin in Islamabad tomorrow \u2013 fail.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to find out in about 24 hours,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re loading up the ships with the best weapons ever made, even at a higher level than we use to do a complete decimation.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if we don\u2019t have a deal, we will be using them and we will be using them very effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.56 EDT<\/p>\n CNN is reporting that ambassadors from Israel, Lebanon and the United States will hold a first round of preparatory talks in Washington today to set the table for future negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, citing an Israeli official and sources familiar with the talks.<\/p>\n Per CNN\u2019s report, this first round of discussions will be aimed at reaching an agreement on the conditions and agenda for direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, which Israel has said would be aimed at disarming Hezbollah and establishing \u201cpeaceful relations\u201d between the two countries.<\/p>\n Lebanon is demanding that Israel agrees to a ceasefire before negotiations can begin, as Tel Aviv continues<\/a> its ferocious bombardment on the country.<\/p>\n The talks will be held with Michel Issa, the US ambassador to Lebanon; Yechiel Leiter, Israel\u2019s ambassador to the US; and Nada Hamadeh Moawad, Lebanon\u2019s ambassador to the US, according to CNN\u2019s sources.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Khanna calls on Melania Trump to testify before Congress: \u2018She has relevant information\u2019<\/p>\n Melania Trump\u2019s televised statement on Thursday, in which she said that she \u201cnever had a relationship\u201d with Jeffrey Epstein<\/a> or Ghislaine Maxwell, prompted a sharp response from one of the Democratic lawmakers behind the legislation requiring the justice department to release Epstein\u2011related files.<\/p>\n Ro Khanna said the first lady should now testify before Congress. \u201cShe has relevant information. If she didn\u2019t have relevant information, how could she say that Epstein was not acting alone?\u201d the congressman told MS NOW.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to ask her who were the other men that she believes may have been involved in raping or abusing these young girls,\u201d the California Democrat said. \u201cWhat did she know?\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Tom Ambrose<\/p>\n Pope Leo has issued a thinly veiled criticism of the US-Israeli war on Iran<\/a>, saying \u201cmilitary action will not create space for freedom\u201d.<\/p>\n Writing on X, he also said that God \u201cdoes not bless any conflict\u201d.<\/p>\n He said:<\/p>\n double quotation markGod does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.<\/p>\n Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Democrats blast Trump and war on Iran for latest inflation surge<\/p>\n Democrats have blasted the Trump administration<\/a> following the latest inflation report, which shows a 3.3% surge in consumer prices since March 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s data shows that Trump\u2019s war with Iran<\/a> has driven up costs and delivered the worst inflation reading in nearly two years,\u201d said Elizabeth Warren, the ranking member on the Senate banking committee. \u201cTrump\u2019s chaotic tariffs were already squeezing American families, and now he\u2019s sent energy prices skyrocketing, with gas prices above $4 a gallon and the cost of food still too high. Every family struggling to fill their gas tank or buy groceries knows exactly who is responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n Chuck Schumer, the Senate\u2019s top Democrat, said that the March consumer price index (CPI) was \u201canother reason we must end this war now\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cAmericans are paying the price for Trump\u2019s idiocy every day,\u201d he said in a statement on social media.<\/p>\n In an interview with CNBC on Friday, Pete Buttigieg, the former transportation secretary under Joe Biden said that the Trump administration is \u201cactively making energy prices higher with a war that nobody wanted, nobody asked for\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThat, of course, is the direct reason why inflation is higher now than it was before,\u201d said Buttigieg, who is widely considered a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n On Truth Social, Donald Trump issued a cryptic message this morning that appeared to be in reference to the upcoming negotiations in Islamabad, but remains unclear.<\/p>\n \u201cWORLD\u2019S MOST POWERFUL RESET!!!\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.11 EDT<\/p>\n A reminder that my colleagues are covering the latest out of the Middle East at our dedicated live blog.<\/p>\n This includes the news that vice-president JD Vance warned Iran<\/a> not to \u201cplay\u201d the US during upcoming negotiations in Pakistan.<\/p>\n Vance spoke to reporters ahead of travelling to Islamabad today for a weekend of talks with the regime and mediators. \u201cIf the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we\u2019re certainly willing to extend the open hand,\u201d he said. \u201cIf they\u2019re gonna try and play us, then they\u2019re gonna find that the negotiating team is not that receptive.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a> The annualized inflation rate has not pushed past 3% since summer 2024, when inflation was finally cooling after reaching a generational high of 9.1% in June 2022.<\/p>\n The war on Iran has driven the American economy into deeper uncertainty, adding to a precariousness that first came with Donald Trump\u2019s tariffs last year.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>US inflation surges amid war on Iran and spiking oil prices<\/p>\n US inflation surged in March, according to the latest consumer price index (CPI) report released on Friday.<\/p>\n Overall prices are now up by 3.3% compared to a year ago, and up by 0.9% since February 2026.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Donald Trump will be in Washington for much of the day.<\/p>\n He\u2019ll be in closed door policy meetings until he leaves for Charlottesville, Virginia, where he\u2019s due to attend a meeting and roundtable dinner with Make America Great Again Inc, the pro-Trump super pac at 6:30pm ET. That\u2019s not open to the media, but we\u2019ll let you know if anything changes and we hear from the president.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Donald Trump\u2019s administration this week acknowledged it made a significant error in figures it used to help justify a fraud probe into New York\u2019s Medicaid program.<\/p>\n The error, one of at least a few misrepresentations in its description of the program, prompted health analysts to question how many of the Republican administration\u2019s sweeping anti-fraud efforts around the country were based on faulty findings, AP reported.<\/p>\n \u201cThese numbers could have been cleared up in a phone call, so it\u2019s really slapdash,\u201d said Fiscal Policy Institute senior health policy adviser Michael Kinnucan, whose recent analysis called attention to the Trump administration\u2019s inaccurate claim.<\/p>\n The mistake appeared in comments made last month by Dr Mehmet Oz , the administrator of the Centers for Medicare + Medicaid Services, in a social media video and in a letter to New York\u2019s Democratic governor announcing the fraud investigation.<\/p>\n Oz claimed that New York\u2019s Medicaid program last year provided some five million people with personal care services, which assist people in need with basic activities like bathing, grooming and meal preparation. That would add up to nearly three-quarters of the state\u2019s 6.8 million Medicaid enrollees.<\/p>\n \u201cThat level of utilization is unheard of,\u201d Oz said in the video, adding in his post that New York needs to \u201ccome clean about its Medicaid program.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Jos\u00e9 Olivares<\/p>\n A Trump administration<\/a> appointee has delayed publication of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that shows benefits related to the Covid vaccine, leading to concerns that the administration is engaging in behind-the-scenes tactics to undermine vaccines.<\/p>\n Research by CDC scientists found that the Covid vaccine cut the likelihood of emergency room visits and hospitalizations for healthy adults last winter by about half, according to reporting<\/a> from the Washington Post. The acting CDC director, Jay Bhattacharya, reportedly delayed the report\u2019s publication due to concerns surrounding the research\u2019s methodology.<\/p>\n The move to postpone the publication of the CDC\u2019s report has raised concerns among experts and former CDC officials about further attacks to the agency\u2019s vaccine-related work by the Trump administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n Since Trump took office last January, health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and his appointees have engaged in public and behind-the-scenes maneuvers to hamper vaccine research and recommendations.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is definitely an escalation of this administration\u2019s undermining of CDC science,\u201d said Dr Fiona Havers, a former senior adviser on vaccine policy at the CDC. \u201cThe fact that they are now blocking this is extremely concerning.\u201d<\/p>\n Havers resigned from the CDC last year, in response to the Trump administration\u2019s approaches to vaccine policy.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Donald Trump<\/a> is an \u201cevil human being\u201d who \u201cwants to be an emperor\u201d and should be removed from office over the war in Iran, Yassamin Ansari<\/a>, an Iranian American member of the US Congress<\/a>, has told the Guardian.<\/p>\n Ansari, the daughter of Iranian immigrants who decades ago fled the regime, spoke out after the president threatened to wipe out Iran<\/a>\u2019s civilisation before backing down and announcing an uncertain two-week ceasefire<\/a>.<\/p>\n As news of the truce broke on Tuesday night, Ansari said in a statement<\/a> she was \u201cmomentarily relieved for the 90 million Iranians who just spent the worst 24 hours of their lives thinking they were about to face nothing short of a nuclear catastrophe\u201d.<\/p>\n But the Arizona Democrat maintained that Trump\u2019s dire promises of genocide and war crimes warrant intervention<\/a> by the cabinet or Congress. Earlier on Tuesday, Ansari warned that the president represents a clear and present danger to Iran, the US and the world.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no doubt in my mind he is mentally unstable and not all there but I also believe he is a deeply troubled, evil human being that only cares about himself and his family,\u201d she said in a phone interview. \u201cHe has shown that throughout his entire life. He has shown that throughout his presidency by ripping away healthcare and basic necessities from the average American, while he and his family have made billions of dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Melania Trump\u2019s surprise statement denying she had any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein<\/a> sparked confusion about why she had chosen to speak out, and whether Donald Trump knew that the first lady was planning to draw attention to a subject he has called for the public to move on from.<\/p>\n Even normally well-sourced correspondents for rightwing outlets were at a loss to explain why Melania Trump<\/a> felt the need to issue the seemingly out-of-the-blue statement about her relationship with Epstein, the late sex offender who socialized with her husband for nearly two decades, or his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.<\/p>\n The Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich said that she and her team were baffled.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been trying to understand why she made it today, if there was something that she is reacting to that might already be in the news that has upset her, or if there\u2019s a story that\u2019s yet to come out, that\u2019s about to drop that she wanted to get ahead of,\u201d Heinrich told Fox viewers<\/a>. \u201cBecause it did feel like it came out of left field for us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still trying to figure out why she made this statement today,\u201d she added. \u201cI\u2019ve called every contact in my phone, including the president, and not gotten any answers.\u201d<\/p>\n The New York Post, which, like Fox, is owned by Rupert Murdoch and often acts like an arm of the Trump White House communications team, was also puzzled. \u201cIt\u2019s unclear why the first lady chose to hold the press event at a time when the White House is trying to move on from the Epstein saga that has been a drag on her husband\u2019s second term,\u201d the New York tabloid reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Epstein survivors accused Melania Trump of ‘shifting the burden’ after surprise statement<\/p>\n Hello and welcome to the US politics<\/a> live blog.<\/p>\n Melania Trump has been accused of \u201cshifting the burden\u201d onto sex offender Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s survivors after her extraordinary statement at the White House.<\/p>\n As part of her statement distancing herself from the disgraced financier, the first lady also called on Congress to take sworn testimony in a public hearing from Epstein victims. Several victims did meet with the House oversight committee in a closed session last fall.<\/p>\n But on Thursday evening in a joint statement released to the media, a group of survivors said the first lady had moved to \u201cprotect those in power\u201d.<\/p>\n They accused her of \u201cshifting the burden onto survivors under politicized conditions to protect those with power\u201d.<\/p>\n The statement read:<\/p>\n double quotation markSurvivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony.<\/p>\n Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice.<\/p>\n It added:<\/p>\n double quotation markIt also diverts attention from [former attorney general] Pam Bondi, who must answer for withheld files and the exposure of survivors\u2019 identities.<\/p>\n Those failures continue to put lives at risk while shielding enablers. Survivors have done their part. Now it\u2019s time for those in power to do theirs.<\/p>\n The first lady told reporters on Thursday that she \u201cnever had a relationship\u201d with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell<\/a>.<\/p>\n It was unclear which specific accusations spurred the first lady to respond publicly. She delivered her scripted remarks at a podium in the same room Donald Trump<\/a> used to address the nation on the war in Iran last week.<\/p>\n \u201cI [have] never been friends with Epstein,\u201d Trump said in her statement. \u201cI am not Epstein\u2019s victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n The first lady went on to say that she and the president were invited to the same parties as Epstein \u201cfrom time to time\u201d as \u201coverlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach\u201d. But she specifically denied that her emails to Maxwell were anything more than \u201ccasual correspondence\u201d.<\/p>\n Read the full story here:<\/p>\n In other developments:<\/p>\n The push from House Democrats<\/a> to pass a war powers resolution by unanimous consent failed yesterday, after the pro forma speaker, Republican Chris Smith, did not recognize Democrats. It was always a tall order, given that pushback from even a single member would require Democrats to pursue a formal vote on the resolution.<\/p>\n While it\u2019s largely a symbolic move, Democrats in both chambers have vowed to hold votes again when Congress returns from recess next week. On the steps of the US Capitol, lower chamber Democrats appeared confident that when Congress returns from recess next week, they will have at least a couple of House GOP members who are willing to buck their party and pass the resolution.<\/p>\n![\"Lauren](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775844848_612_Lauren_Aratani_Next_Gen.png\")
Lauren Aratani<\/p>\n![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/David_Smith.png\")
David Smith<\/p>\n![\"Robert](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Robert_Mackey.png\")
Robert Mackey<\/p>\n