English
Author Michael Wolff has filed a lawsuit claiming Melania Trump threatened to sue him for more than US$1 billion. The dispute centers on comments Wolff made linking the First Lady to financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Filed Tuesday in Manhattan Supreme Court, the Melania Trump lawsuit Michael Wolff accuses the Trumps of using intimidation to silence critics. Wolff argues the couple routinely deploys expensive legal threats to suppress speech and control the public narrative.
According to Wolff, the threats aimed to block any inquiry into the Trumps’ alleged connections to Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
Wolff Accuses Trumps of “Climate of Fear”
In the complaint, Wolff alleges that both Melania and President Donald Trump foster a “climate of fear” across the nation. He claims their tactics discourage journalists and authors from exercising First Amendment rights.
“Their goal is to silence dissent and extract forced apologies,” Wolff wrote in the filing.
Melania Trump’s lawyer, Alejandro Brito, had previously set an October 15 deadline for Wolff to retract his statements and issue an apology. Brito warned that failing to comply would lead to a lawsuit demanding more than $1 billion in damages.
Melania’s spokesperson, Nicholas Clemens, responded sharply, saying the First Lady would “continue standing up to malicious falsehoods” spread for profit and attention.
What the Controversy Is About
Wolff said the controversy arose from remarks he made to The Daily Beast and in several social media videos. He insists his comments were misinterpreted or taken out of context.
Among his statements, Wolff argued that Melania was “very involved” in Epstein’s social circle and met Donald Trump through that network. He also said the couple’s marriage was a “trophy marriage,” a claim he defended as opinion rather than defamation.
The author emphasized he never accused Melania of participating in Epstein’s crimes but said it was legitimate to question her role in the broader Epstein story.
Wolff Plans to Question the Trumps
Through this lawsuit, Wolff aims to compel both Donald and Melania Trump to testify under oath. He said he intends to explore their decade-long connection to Epstein’s modeling circles, which allegedly included supermodels and aspiring models from Eastern Europe.
Earlier this year, President Trump dismissed Wolff as a “third-rate reporter” and called his upcoming book “a total fake job.” Despite the criticism, Wolff maintains that his work seeks accountability and transparency, not controversy.
For detailed analyses of ongoing legal and political cases, visit PhoenixQ’s Politics & Law section.
