In a surprising turn of events, The Daily Beast has issued a public apology to first lady Melania Trump and retracted a controversial article linking her to a modeling agent associated with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, Fox News reported.
This development follows the outlet's admission that the story, based on claims by journalist Michael Wolff, failed to meet its editorial standards, prompting both the removal of the article and related podcast content after legal pressure from Trump's team.
The saga began when The Daily Beast published an article alleging that Melania Trump was introduced to Donald Trump through a modeling agent connected to Jeffrey Epstein, a disgraced financier who died in 2019.
The story drew from an interview with Michael Wolff, conducted by Joanna Coles for The Daily Beast Podcast, where Wolff discussed alleged ties between the Trumps and Epstein.
Wolff claimed during the interview that Melania was deeply involved in a relationship with Epstein through the modeling world, though he later distanced himself from the published piece.
In July, after the article's release, Melania Trump's legal team sent a letter disputing the headline and overall narrative presented in the story.
Responding to the legal threat, The Daily Beast initially pulled the article from its platforms in July, signaling early concerns about its content.
On a subsequent Monday, the outlet issued a formal apology to Melania Trump, which she then shared on the social media platform X.
In its statement, The Daily Beast acknowledged, "The Daily Beast recently published a story headlined 'Melania Trump ‘Very Involved’ in Epstein Scandal: Author’ based on an interview with Michael Wolff."
Continuing its apology, the outlet added, "Upon reflection, we have determined that the article did not meet our standards and has therefore been removed from our platforms."
Additionally, The Daily Beast removed a segment of a podcast episode titled "Trump’s Epstein Scandal Can’t Stop Won’t Stop," which also referenced the first lady, as noted in their response to her attorneys.
The apology further highlighted that Melania Trump considers her bestselling book, "Melania," to be the definitive account of her personal story, a point included in the outlet's statement.
Michael Wolff, the journalist at the center of the claims, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the retracted allegations.
Back in July, Wolff told Fox News Digital that he had no involvement in the writing of the article itself, despite his interview being the basis for its content.
Wolff’s reporting style has faced scrutiny in the past, with his credibility questioned within the journalism community, including over past works like his 2018 book "Fire and Fury," where multiple individuals in Donald Trump’s circle denied quotes attributed to them, and an insinuation about then-UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who called it "disgusting" and "highly offensive," sparked significant controversy.
