First Lady Melania Trump made a rare public statement Thursday addressing what she called "lies" linking her to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. In her remarks delivered from the White House, Trump said "I am not Epstein's victim" and called for an end to claims connecting her to the convicted sex offender.

The First Lady's statement came during a White House event on Thursday afternoon, less than a month after she hosted a two-day summit as part of her "Fostering the Future Together" initiative. That program focuses on addressing challenges children face in the digital era through collaboration with U.S. allies.

Separately on Thursday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton published an op-ed in The New York Times criticizing President Trump's budget proposal. Clinton's piece, titled "Hillary Clinton: Fixing Affordability Starts With Families," argued that "our children will pay the price for the president's indifference."

Clinton specifically targeted the administration's $1.5 trillion budget request for 2027, which proposes increased defense spending of $73 billion. The budget proposal comes amid ongoing military actions involving Iran. Clinton warned of negative consequences for American families if the budget priorities are implemented.

Both statements represented notable public interventions by prominent political figures on Thursday, with Trump addressing personal allegations while Clinton focused on policy criticism of the current administration's fiscal proposals.