President Donald Trump said Friday he knew his wife intended to make a public statement about Jeffrey Epstein and supported her decision, though he was unaware of the specific content beforehand. “I didn’t know what the statement was, but I knew she was going to make a statement,” Trump sai d in a brief phone interview Friday with the New York Times. “I thought she had a right to talk about it.” The remarks came one day after Melania Trump made an unexpected appearance in the White House Grand Foyer Thursday, where she said she first met her husband “by chance at a New York City party in 1998” — and did not meet Epstein until two years later. The statement was apparently aimed at refuting a persistent theory that Epstein introduced the two. Trump said the rumor had long irritated the first lady. “She finds it very insulting,” he said, adding he gave her his blessing: “If you want to do it, do it.” The statement caught White House staff off guard. Two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the New York Times it came as a surprise inside the building. The first lady’s comments revived public scrutiny of Trump’s past social ties to Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender. Old photographs of Trump, Melania and Epstein — along with Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of facilitating years of sexual abuse — circulated widely on social media following Thursday’s appearance. The episode also renewed attention on the broader federal handling of the Epstein case. Last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi departed in part due to fallout from the administration’s difficulty managing public interest in Epstein-related disclosures, according to published reports. Trump projected indifference Friday. “I don’t mind anything having to do with Epstein,” he said, claiming he had been cleared of any wrongdoing. “The only thing I don’t like is I waste a lot of time having to talk about it.” When asked whether his wife’s remarks had inadvertently handed the story new legs, Trump said: “No. I never get upset.” He added he was not certain he would have handled it the same way. “Would I have done it that way? Perhaps not, perhaps, I don’t know.” The post First Lady’s Surprise White House Remarks Reignite Scrutiny of Trump-Epstein Ties appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less