Melania Trump confronted about Ghislaine Maxwell's alleged prison treatment in tense press exchange

First Lady Melania Trump was awkwardly confronted by a member of the press on Wednesday as she was grilled over Ghislane Maxwell’s alleged prison treatment during an event to honour freed American-Israeli hostages Keith Siegel and his wife Aviva.

Keith was captured during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, and held for over 480 days before being released last year. Aviva was also captured and released during a short-lived cease-fire in November 2023.

Yet while the press briefing was meant to draw attention to their experiences, it was Melania that faced the most tense lines of questioning, including her thoughts on the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse that had called for his former lover Ghislane Maxwell to be moved to a maximum security prison.

Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021 after she helped Epstein to procure and groom his victims.

She was sentenced to 20 years behind bars but has been carrying out her sentence at a low security Federal Prison Camp (FPC) in Bryan, Texas.

First lady Melania Trump meets with Keith Siegel (L) and Aviva Siegel (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)

Whistleblowers have alleged that Maxwell has been receiving special treatment while in prison, including being permitted to enter recreation zones after hours, having personally curated meals delivered to her cell, and being given access to a ‘special cordoned off area for visitors to arrive, as well as an assortment of snacks and refreshments for her guests.’

There were even reports according to the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee, that she had been permitted to play with a puppy on one occasion – something which seemed a stark contrast to a traditional prison experience.

"There's a call from many Epstein survivors that Ghislaine Maxwell move to a high security prison. Do you know why that happened?" a reporter asked the first lady during the press briefing.

However, Melania was unwilling to respond as she attempted to shift the focus back to the real reason they were there.

"We are here celebrating the release and the life of these two incredible people, so let's honor that," she responded.

The briefing then continued as planned, but did raise some eyebrows when Melania cited her own newly released documentary during the meeting.

“After Aviva was freed, she called me, wanted to see me and we set up a meeting in New York," the first lady said.

Ghislane Maxwell has allegedly been receiving special treatment while in prison (Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

“It was an emotional meeting, and it is captured on camera and available to see in my film, Melania."

Melania then came under fire a second time as a reporter asked whether it was appropriate to be promoting her $75 million Amazon MGM Studios documentary during an official White House event.

This prompted a stern clap-back, as she replied: "This is not a promotion."

“We are here celebrating the release of the hostages, of Aviva and Keith," Melania continued. "They were in Washington, D.C., and they called me. They said they would like to come over to thank me and to give hugs, and that’s why we are here. It’s nothing to do with promotion.”