In today’s media circus, retractions have become about as common as Starbucks orders. But when a major outlet like The Daily Beast has to nuke an entire article from orbit? You know they messed up bad. And this wasn’t just some clumsy headline or a misquoted source—this was a full-blown fabrication that had no business being published in the first place.
This week’s fiasco centers around yet another desperate attempt to smear the Trump family. This time, the target was First Lady Melania Trump. The accusation? That she had some sort of connection to Jeffrey Epstein. Yes, really. That’s the caliber of journalism we’re dealing with now.
The “scoop” was based on claims from none other than Michael Wolff—a man whose grip on truth is looser than Joe Biden’s handshake. According to the now-deleted article, Wolff stated Melania was “very involved” in the Epstein scandal, and The Daily Beast took that ball and sprinted straight off the cliff with it.
The headline, as it originally appeared on Apple News, screamed: “Melania Trump ‘Very Involved’ in Epstein Scandal: Author.” They didn’t even bury the lie in the eighth paragraph like usual. They put it in lights. Until, that is, Melania Trump’s attorney came knocking.
Lawyers: 1, Fake News: 0
Not long after publication, Melania’s legal team fired off a letter to The Daily Beast. And just like that, the whole article vanished. Not a correction. Not a quiet edit. They deleted the entire piece from existence—headline, body, and all. It’s like it never happened.
Except it did.
And this is where the mask slips. The speed and totality of the retraction says everything. This wasn’t an honest mistake. This wasn’t a poorly worded sentence. This was journalistic malpractice. They knew it. We knew it. And now, the internet knows it.
The Wolff Who Cried Bombshell
Let’s talk about the credibility—or lack thereof—of their source. Michael Wolff has a history of tossing out wild, salacious claims with all the sourcing rigor of a Facebook meme. This is the same guy who once claimed President Trump had an affair with Nikki Haley, then bailed on an interview the moment someone asked for proof. No retraction. No apology. Just a conveniently timed hearing problem.
So why in the world would any outlet in 2025 still give this man a platform? That’s what other journalists—even those who despise Trump—are now asking. One even said, “Michael Wolff is a known fabulist.” Another quipped, “Why any outlet gives him column inches in 2025 is BEYOND me.”
Even in the dog-eat-dog world of anti-Trump media, The Daily Beast managed to embarrass itself. That takes real effort.
Why It Was Published in the First Place
Here’s the ugly truth: The Daily Beast wanted this story to be true. They needed it to be true. Their hatred for Donald Trump runs so deep, they’ll take the word of a known fabulist over basic journalistic integrity. It’s not about facts. It’s about narratives.
And while they did the right thing—eventually—by pulling the article, the original podcast interview where Wolff made the claims? Still live. Still monetized. Still spreading lies. That’s not journalism. That’s a smear campaign with a studio mic.
This is the double standard we’ve come to expect. If a conservative outlet had published a completely fabricated story about Michelle Obama or Jill Biden, the media would be screaming about “misinformation” from every rooftop. But when it’s Melania Trump? Suddenly we’re told it’s an “honest mistake.”
The Media Has a Trust Problem—And It’s Self-Inflicted
This episode should be a wake-up call—but it won’t be. Because outlets like The Daily Beast are too invested in their anti-Trump agenda to care. They’ll delete a false article after the damage is done, pat themselves on the back for “taking responsibility,” and then do it all over again in two weeks.
They wonder why public trust in media is circling the drain? It’s stunts like this. When you publish pure fiction to feed your political bias, you don’t just discredit yourself—you damage the entire profession.
The truth is, people don’t hate the media because they’re reporting uncomfortable facts. They hate the media because they’ve turned into activists with bylines—amplifying lies, smearing opponents, and only retracting when the lawyers get involved.
The Daily Beast didn’t get caught making a mistake. They got caught telling a whopper, hoping nobody would notice.
We noticed.
