The Daily Beast has withdrawn an article that suggested First Lady Melania Trump was introduced to Donald Trump through a modeling agent connected to Jeffrey Epstein, following objections from her legal team.
The piece, which cited comments made by journalist Michael Wolff during a podcast, was entirely removed from the site, with its headline, text, image, and URL replaced by an editor’s note. The publication acknowledged the controversy surrounding the claims and issued an apology for any confusion.
Melania Trump’s lawyers took swift action, calling the report misleading and demanding its removal. Wolff alleged that Melania had ties to Trump’s social circle through Epstein, but her own account contradicts that, stating she met Trump at a New York Fashion Week party in 1998 with no mention of Epstein or modeling intermediaries.
The Daily Beast’s decision to fully retract the piece signals growing scrutiny over media responsibility and highlights the influence of legal intervention when public figures challenge reporting they consider defamatory or false.