First Lady Melania Trump has issued a legal threat against Hunter Biden, demanding a retraction of his claim that she was introduced to Donald Trump by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The notice, seeking damages exceeding $1 billion, was sent on August 6 through her attorney, Alejandro Brito.
The controversy stems from remarks made by Biden during an appearance on the YouTube show Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan earlier this month. In the interview, Biden referenced reporting — including articles from 2019 — suggesting Epstein had introduced the couple. Citing author Michael Wolff, Biden stated, “They spent an enormous amount of time together… that’s how Melania and the president met.”
Melania Trump, who married Donald Trump in 2005, has called the statement “false, disparaging, defamatory, and inflammatory.” The first lady’s legal team demanded that Biden “immediately retract” his comments.
When asked by Callaghan if he intended to apologize, Biden issued an explicit refusal, saying, “That’s not going to happen,” and reiterated that his remarks were based on previously published news reports.
Trump’s Response and Legal Background
Donald Trump, in an August 14 interview with Fox Radio’s Brian Kilmeade, defended his wife’s legal action, stating, “Jeffrey Epstein had nothing to do with Melania… She was very upset about it.” Trump said he encouraged her to pursue the lawsuit, framing the claim as an attempt to “demean” them.
The former president has acknowledged knowing Epstein socially but has maintained they had a “falling out” in the mid-2000s. The issue has resurfaced periodically, including during Trump’s public disputes with figures like Elon Musk.
In recent months, other public figures have walked back similar claims. The Daily Beast retracted an article alleging a modeling agent connected to Epstein introduced Melania to Trump, issuing an apology after receiving a legal challenge from her attorney. Democratic strategist James Carville also apologized earlier this month for making the same assertion, subsequently removing the comments from his podcast.
Biden Dismisses the Threat as “Distraction”
Biden has characterized the first lady’s legal threat as a “designed distraction,” arguing that the controversy is “not about who introduced whom” and questioning whether the matter meets the legal threshold for defamation.
He further suggested that Trump’s past associations with Epstein were “glaringly obvious” and accused the Trumps of using legal threats to shift focus. Biden also stated he would be “happy” to provide a platform for the former president and first lady to publicly clarify their relationship with Epstein, saying, “I think the entire world would love to finally get to the bottom of the true nature of their relationship.”