Melania Trump breaks silence for the first time since Epstein bombshell with bold message for lawmakers

By NIKKI SCHWAB, CHIEF CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT Published: 20:51, 15 April 2026 | Updated: 20:53, 15 April 2026 First Lady Melania Trump made a rare trip to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to lobby for legislation that would better serve foster youth.  The Capitol Hill event marked Melania's first public appearance since her jaw-dropping statement last week, distancing herself from serial pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.  The First Lady, sporting a powder pink suit, spoke at a roundtable hosted by the House Ways & Means Committee, attended by both Republicans and Democrats.  'We are gathered here today, not because America's children rely on us, but rather because America's children are our moral equals,' she told the audience.  'New legislation for the foster care community is a moral imperative,' the First Lady added. Committee leaders noted how there were several bipartisan bills they were working on to help with this effort.  'Beginning here in this room, we can once again change people’s lives. With new legislation, we can ensure that opportunity is more than hopeful for individuals in the foster care community - it can be their birthright,' the First Lady encouraged the lawmakers. Since telling the world she was no 'friend' or 'victim' of Epstein, Melania and the President also hosted the Dutch royal couple, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, for a dinner on Monday, but cameras only captured the White House arrival.  First Lady Melania Trump (right) speaks in front of the House Ways and Means Committee at a roundtable event on America's foster youth alongside House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (left) First Lady Melania Trump arrives Wednesday on Capitol Hill to speak before a roundtable on America's foster care children in front of the House Ways and Means Committee  This latest lobbying effort comes after the First Lady pushed to have the Take It Down Act passed last April. She and the President jointly appeared at a White House signing ceremony the next month, with Melania adding her signature to the new law.  Melania launched her Fostering the Future initiative in 2021, after her husband's first term, under the umbrella of her broader 'Be Best' platform.  Part of Fostering the Future deals with providing more support to young people advancing out of foster care.  'My goal is to prepare these individuals to secure entry-level jobs, become financially independent, and eventually, innovate, create new businesses, and generate employment opportunities,' she said.  The President signed an executive order in November directing federal agencies to provide more support for foster youth.  'When I first developed Fostering the Future, one thing became very clear: the foster care community requires action over awareness. This truth stands today,' she said.  Part of her initiative was a scholarship program, which has found homes at major universities, including Vanderbilt, the University of Georgia, the University of Alabama, the University of Texas, the University of Florida, the University of Miami and others.  First Lady Melania Trump (center right) appeared in front of a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Wednesday to lobby for more legislation that would help children in foster care blossom to educated and employed adults  First Lady Melania Trump (left) listens to remarks from the ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee Subcommittee on Work and Welfare, Democratic Representative Danny Davis (right)  The First Lady gave a shout-out to a number of those universities at Wednesday's roundtable.  'Although reports vary, roughly three percent of individuals in the foster care community earned a college degree in 2025,' she noted.  'We can close this gap,' the First Lady said.  During Trump's February State of the Union address, Melania brought a woman who was formerly in the foster care system to highlight the Foster Youth to Independence initiative.  The program, which is run by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, offers up to 36 months of rental assistance to Americans formerly in foster care, in an effort to avoid homelessness.  The First Lady lobbied to have $25 million included in the fiscal year 2026 budget for the program.  Even a former staffer of a Democratic First Lady was impressed by her actively lobbying Congress, which is not something a presidential spouse usually does.  'Game respects game,' Michael LaRosa, an ex-spokesperson for Dr. Jill Biden, told the Daily Mail. 'I give her credit for taking risks by putting all her cards on the table and showing her hand in her second White House chapter.' 'It's refreshing to see the First Lady take such an active role in lobbying the Hill on public issues that matter to her,' LaRosa added.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. 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