Who introduced Trump and Melania

1. The widely reported version: a modeling agent introduced them

Every mainstream biography and profile that recounts how Donald Trump and Melania met points to Paolo Zampolli, a Milanese modeling agent who worked with Melania in the 1990s; accounts say Zampolli hired and sponsored her U.S. immigration and introduced her to Trump at a 1998 party, a detail repeated by outlets and referenced by Trump himself when the relationship went public ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

2. What Paolo Zampolli’s role is said to have been

Reporting describes Zampolli as the founder of a modeling agency who first spotted Melania in Milan in the mid‑1990s and later placed her in New York modeling work; those same accounts say Zampolli introduced Melania to Trump at a New York Fashion Week or Kit Kat Klub party in 1998, which has become the standard public narrative of their first meeting ^{[2] [7] [1]}.

3. The Epstein alternative: origin, claims, and limits

A competing narrative stems from Michael Wolff and a handful of later reports claiming Epstein or Epstein‑adjacent social circles were involved in the introduction. Wolff’s comments and some reporting allege Epstein “knew” Melania and that Epstein at times claimed he introduced the couple, but those assertions rest largely on Wolff’s tapes and Epstein’s own boast rather than documentary corroboration ^{[5] [6]}. Fact‑checking outlets note Epstein’s claim has not been corroborated by independent evidence ^[4].

4. How primary actors have responded

Melania and Trump have consistently told the Zampolli/party story in interviews and public statements, and Melania’s legal team has actively disputed and threatened suits over claims tying Epstein to her introduction to Trump; reporting on legal threats underscores that the Trumps reject the Epstein version ^{[3] [8]}.

5. What journalists and fact‑checkers say about evidence

Fact‑checking and retrospective pieces point out that Epstein sometimes boosted his importance in others’ social histories, but external verification is thin: Epstein reportedly said he introduced them, yet researchers and fact‑checkers have not found corroborating evidence beyond those claims and Wolff’s secondary reporting; thus the Zampolli introduction is the better‑documented version in current reporting ^{[4] [5]}.

6. Why competing accounts emerged and what motivations matter

Competing accounts converge at social circles of modeling agents, wealthy socialites, and high‑profile men in late‑1990s New York and Palm Beach; observers note that figures like Zampolli had ties overlapping with both Trump and Epstein, which helps explain how different recollections and claims arose. The Epstein version gained traction partly because Epstein himself sought to amplify his social cachet, while Wolff’s book and tabloids amplified those assertions; political or litigation motives also feature in public denials and threats ^{[5] [6] [8]}.

7. What remains unproven or contested

Available reporting does not produce independent, contemporaneous documentation proving Epstein introduced the couple; conversely, multiple contemporaneous and later accounts attribute the introduction to Paolo Zampolli and a 1998 party — a narrative Trump and Melania have endorsed ^{[1] [3] [4]}. Where sources disagree, the strongest corroboration in the record supports the modeling‑agent/party account ^{[2] [3]}.

8. Bottom line for readers

If you need a concise answer: contemporary interviews and mainstream reporting say Paolo Zampolli introduced Melania to Donald Trump in 1998 ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Alternative claims linking Jeffrey Epstein to the introduction exist but rely on uncorroborated assertions and have been disputed by Melania’s team and fact‑checkers; those claims are not substantiated in the available reporting ^{[5] [4] [8]}.