On August 13, 2025, First Lady Melania Trump issued a stern warning to Hunter Biden, son of former President Joe Biden, threatening a $1 billion defamation lawsuit. The controversy stems from statements Biden made during an August 5 appearance on the “Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan” podcast, where he suggested that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein introduced Melania to President Donald Trump. These claims, labeled as false and inflammatory by Melania’s legal team, have sparked a heated legal battle that highlights the power of words and their consequences in the public eye.
The Allegations
During the podcast, Biden was asked about the possibility of withheld documents related to Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Biden stated, “Epstein introduced Melania to Trump. The connections are, like, so wide and deep.” He attributed this claim to author Michael Wolff, whom President Trump has previously criticized as a “third-rate reporter” known for fabricating stories. These remarks, according to Melania’s attorney Alejandro Brito, were “false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory,” causing significant financial and reputational harm to the First Lady.
Biden’s comments were not isolated. Just a week earlier, on July 31, Democratic strategist James Carville made similar claims on his “Politics War Room” podcast, suggesting Melania was a “key figure” in modeling agencies linked to Epstein and Trump. After receiving a legal letter from Melania’s team, Carville retracted his statements, issued an apology, and removed the video. On August 7, Melania posted a screenshot of Carville’s apology on X, alongside an image of the retracted video marked with a red X, signaling her intent to combat such allegations swiftly.
Melania’s Response
Melania Trump, through her Florida-based attorney Alejandro Brito, sent a scathing letter to Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, on August 6. The letter demanded that Biden immediately retract his statements, remove the podcast content, and issue a public apology. Failure to comply, Brito warned, would leave Melania with “no choice but to pursue any and all legal rights and remedies” to address the “overwhelming financial and reputational harm” caused by Biden’s remarks. The letter emphasized that the video had been widely shared by media outlets and social media influencers, reaching tens of millions of people worldwide and amplifying the damage.
Melania has consistently maintained that she met Donald Trump in September 1998 at a New York Fashion Week party hosted by Paolo Zampolli, president of ID Models. She reinforced this narrative by sharing excerpts from her best-selling memoir, Melania, on X on July 18, detailing the circumstances of their introduction. This account directly contradicts Biden’s claims, which her legal team argues are baseless and rooted in the unreliable reporting of Michael Wolff, as published in a Daily Beast article titled “Melania Trump ‘very involved’ in Epstein Scandal: Author.”
Legal and Public Implications
The threatened lawsuit reflects a strategy often employed by President Trump, who is known for using litigation to counter critics. However, as public figures, the Trumps face a high legal bar to prove defamation, requiring evidence that Biden’s statements were made with “actual malice” or reckless disregard for the truth. The widespread dissemination of Biden’s comments across digital platforms has intensified the stakes, with Melania’s legal team arguing that the “extremely salacious” nature of the claims has caused irreparable harm.
As of August 13, 2025, Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, has not publicly responded to the demand for a retraction. The controversy continues to unfold, drawing attention to the delicate balance between free speech, public reputation, and the legal consequences of inflammatory statements. Whether this dispute escalates to a courtroom battle or is resolved through a retraction remains to be seen, but it underscores the intense scrutiny faced by public figures in today’s media landscape.