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Journalist and author Michael Wolff has filed a lawsuit against former First Lady Melania Trump, accusing her of defamation and deliberately interfering with the publication of his upcoming book The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump (Redux).
In court documents obtained by multiple outlets, Wolff alleges that Melania "deliberately and maliciously" obstructed his publishing deal by spreading false information that damaged his professional reputation. He claims she and her team made public statements suggesting he "fabricated interviews, intimidated sources, and manufactured lies for profit," which caused international distributors to withdraw from a multimillion-dollar agreement.
Wolff also contends that Melania personally instructed a public relations firm to contact media houses and threaten legal action against any outlet planning to cover his forthcoming title — a move he describes as "a calculated campaign to destroy his reputation and livelihood."
The dispute traces back to comments Wolff made to the Daily Beast about Melania's alleged involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. He reportedly said that she was "very involved" and could be "the missing link in President Trump's ties to Epstein." Melania's attorneys rejected the claims, calling them false and defamatory, and demanded that Wolff retract and apologize.
In his legal filing, Wolff maintains that he was performing his duties as a journalist, "diligently" asking "important questions that deserve inquiry." The complaint adds that "Mrs. Trump and her 'unitary executive' husband along with their MAGA myrmidons have made a practice of threatening those who speak against them with costly SLAPP actions in order to silence their speech."
The lawsuit further argues that Melania's actions were intended to "create a climate of fear in the nation so that people cannot freely or confidently exercise their First Amendment rights," while also seeking to "shut down legitimate inquiry into the Epstein matter which the Trumps and their collaborators have at every turn sought to impede and suppress."
Wolff is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, coverage of his legal fees, and declarations from the court that his upcoming book is not defamatory. As of now, Melania Trump's representatives have not publicly responded to the lawsuit.
