A newly circulated audio recording has reignited scrutiny over how First Lady Melania Trump first met President Donald Trump, prompting a forceful response from longtime Trump associate Paolo Zampolli, who dismissed the allegations as false and suggested the material may have been manipulated using artificial intelligence.
The controversy centers on claims attributed to former Brazilian model Amanda Ungaro, who allegedly asserted in a recording that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, rather than Zampolli, introduced Melania Trump to Donald Trump during New York's modeling scene in the late 1990s. The recording was briefly shared online before being removed, though copies continued to circulate across social media platforms.
According to reporting by The Daily Beast, the allegations challenge an account that has remained largely unchanged for decades. Zampolli, a modeling agent and current U.S. special envoy for global partnerships, has long maintained that he introduced the future president and first lady at a New York party in 1998.
In the recording attributed to Ungaro, she allegedly states: "Let's tell the public you never was the one introducing Melania to Trump. It was Jeffrey Epstein, as she was escort of Jeffrey Epstein. That's how she met Donald Trump."
The claim quickly gained attention because of Ungaro's past relationship with Zampolli and her involvement in an ongoing legal dispute with him. However, no independent evidence has emerged to substantiate the allegations contained in the recording, and no official investigation has publicly supported the claims.
Zampolli responded aggressively after excerpts of the recording began circulating. Speaking to The Daily Beast, he described the allegations as a "disgrace" and dismissed them as "vicious lies" and "conspiracies." He also suggested that some of the content being shared online could be "AI-manipulated," though he did not publicly provide evidence supporting that assertion.
The dispute has drawn renewed attention to a question that Melania Trump has previously addressed herself. In public comments and published accounts, the first lady has consistently stated that she met Donald Trump at a New York party in 1998 and has denied any role by Epstein in their introduction.
Zampolli has repeatedly offered the same version of events. In a previous interview with The Daily Beast, he recalled introducing the pair by saying: "I said: Melania meet Donald, Donald meet Melania." He described the encounter as a brief introduction during a crowded social gathering before he moved on to greet other guests.
The White House and the Office of the First Lady have not issued new statements regarding the latest allegations. Their silence has left public discussion largely driven by competing claims from individuals connected to the story rather than verified documentation.
