Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.
A major book publisher has issued a formal apology to First Lady Melania Trump after including claims in a recent biography that linked her introduction to Donald Trump with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Some shit you should know before you dig in: If you’re unaware, lawyers for First Lady Melania Trump have been actively pursuing media outlets, public figures, and publishers over unverified claims suggesting that Jeffrey Epstein facilitated her introduction to Donald Trump. These claims, which have circulated in books, podcasts, and interviews, imply a connection between Melania Trump and Epstein (an allegation her legal team firmly denies as entirely false, defamatory, and malicious). Her attorneys have demanded immediate retractions and public apologies, maintaining that the true account of her meeting with Donald Trump is detailed in her memoir, where she states they met in 1998 at a New York City club, introduced by someone unrelated to Epstein. As a result of the legal pressure, The Daily Beast retracted articles and podcast segments featuring comments by author Michael Wolff, Democratic strategist James Carville edited his podcast episode and apologized for remarks made on his podcast, and a $1 billion legal threat was sent to Hunter Biden after he repeated the claim in a YouTube interview and declined to apologize.
What’s going on now: In a notable development, HarperCollins UK, one of the world’s largest book publishers, has publicly apologized to Melania Trump and began pulling a biography that included the unverified claim that Epstein introduced her to Donald Trump. The book in question, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York by Andrew Lownie, focuses primarily on Prince Andrew’s controversial ties to Epstein but featured a passage suggesting that the convicted sex offender had a role in bringing the future president and First Lady together. While the book did not allege that Melania was involved in any wrongdoing, her legal team quickly pushed back against the suggestion, categorizing it as false and defamatory.
In response, HarperCollins UK released a statement saying it had worked with the author to “remove several passages of the book that referenced unverified claims about the First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump.” The publisher confirmed that all physical copies containing the disputed material (reportedly around 60,000) were being permanently pulled from distribution. Revisions were also made to the e-book and audiobook versions. “HarperCollins UK apologizes to the First Lady,” the statement concluded.
Melania Trump later shared the publisher’s statement on her X account.
