Melania Trump is once again being dragged into the shadow of Jeffrey Epstein after a former associate made a stunning allegation about how the first lady first met Donald Trump.

The bombshell claim comes from Amanda Ungaro, a former Brazilian model who once dated Paolo Zampolli, the modeling agent and longtime Trump-world insider who has often been credited with introducing Donald and Melania at a New York City party in 1998.

But in a newly surfaced recorded message, Ungaro disputed that well-known story and claimed Zampolli was not the person who brought the future president and first lady together.

Instead, she alleged Epstein was involved.

“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,” Ungaro said in the recording.

The allegation is unverified, fiercely disputed, and has not been proven. But it quickly reignited a firestorm of online chatter about the Trump family’s past connections to New York and Palm Beach’s elite social circles, where Epstein also moved before his crimes became public.

Ungaro did not stop there.

She claimed Zampolli had privately told her a different version of events during their long relationship.

“And I know, because I was with you 20 years and you always told me it was not you — it was Jeffrey Epstein,” she said.

Zampolli quickly fired back and strongly denied the claim.

“I think it is a disgrace that she dares to say this about our marvelous first lady,” he told The Daily Beast.

He also questioned Ungaro’s credibility and suggested she needed help.

“I’m truly concerned for her health, and I think she truly needs some therapy,” Zampolli said.

Zampolli, a Trump ally who serves as Special Envoy for Global Partnerships and sits on the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, has long maintained that he introduced Donald and Melania at a 1998 gathering.

The dispute has added another layer to the already messy backstory surrounding Donald and Melania’s early romance — a story that has fascinated critics, supporters, and conspiracy-minded corners of the internet for years.

Ungaro and Zampolli also have a troubled personal history. According to reports, the two have been involved in a legal dispute, including efforts in 2025 to have Ungaro deported to Brazil while she was being held in a Miami jail on fraud charges amid a custody battle involving their child.

Melania, for her part, has repeatedly denied having any friendship with Epstein.

“I’ve never been friends with Epstein,” she told MS NOW in April. “Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach.”

She said that at the time, she had no knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activity.

“At the time, I had never met Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal undertakings,” Melania said.

The first lady has also dismissed speculation involving Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, describing any past communication as routine and rejecting online claims linking her to Epstein as fabricated.

“I’ve never met Epstein and had no knowledge of his criminal undertakings,” Melania emphasized.

The renewed drama erupted after Ungaro posted a viral message threatening to “tear down the whole system” and “expose” personal secrets, setting off another wave of speculation about the Trump family’s old social circle.

For now, Zampolli is standing by his version of the story, Melania is denying any Epstein friendship, and Ungaro’s allegation remains just that — an explosive claim that has not been proven.

But in the never-ending saga of Trump, Epstein, and the secrets of the rich and powerful, the internet has once again found a new mystery to obsess over.