The Daily Beast has pulled a controversial article written by Michael Wolff that alleged First Lady Melania Trump was introduced to Donald Trump through a modeling agent connected to Jeffrey Epstein — a claim that triggered immediate legal action from the First Lady’s attorneys.
Following a letter from Melania Trump’s legal team challenging the headline and framing of the piece, the outlet deleted the article and posted an editor’s note apologizing for the “confusion or misunderstanding.”
“After this story was published, The Beast received a letter from First Lady Melania Trump’s attorney… The Beast has taken down the article and apologizes,” the note reads.
The original article URL now redirects to a notice:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/epstein-this-story-has-been-removed
Wolff’s Disputed Claim
In the now-deleted article, Wolff alleged:
“[Melania] was very involved in this Epstein relationship… She’s introduced by a model agent, both of whom Trump and Epstein are involved with. Epstein knows her well.”
The claim was first made during a Daily Beast podcast interview with Joanna Coles, where Wolff was promoting his latest speculation-laden narrative about President Trump’s alleged ties to Epstein.