Melania Trump intensified her public fight against critics on Friday after a federal judge in Manhattan dismissed a lawsuit brought by author Michael Wolff over comments linking her to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, with the first lady accusing opponents of spreading "malicious and defamatory falsehoods" for "attention and money."
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil marked the latest legal clash involving the Trump family and one of Donald Trump's most persistent critics, while also signaling that Melania Trump could still pursue a separate defamation lawsuit against Wolff in the future.
At the center of the dispute were comments Wolff made last year regarding alleged ties between Melania Trump and Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Wolff has not publicly produced evidence supporting the allegations, while Melania Trump has repeatedly and forcefully denied them.
Rather than waiting to be sued, Wolff filed a pre-emptive lawsuit in October seeking protection from what he described as intimidation tactics by the Trump legal team. In court filings, the author argued that threats of a potential $1 billion defamation claim were designed "to silence their speech, to intimidate their critics generally, and to extract unjustified payments and North Korean style confessions and apologies."
Judge Vyskocil rejected that strategy this week.
The judge, who was appointed during Donald Trump's presidency, criticized the legal maneuver as "contorted" and said the case reflected "an inappropriate level of tactical gamesmanship."
Importantly, the court did not determine whether Wolff's statements were defamatory or whether Melania Trump suffered reputational harm. Instead, the ruling focused narrowly on whether Wolff could ask federal courts to shield him from a lawsuit that had not yet been formally filed.
The decision immediately prompted a sharp response from the first lady's office.
"First Lady Melania Trump is proud to continue standing up to, and fighting against, those who spread malicious and defamatory falsehoods as they desperately try to get undeserved attention and money from their unlawful conduct," her office said in a statement posted on X.
The increasingly aggressive tone marks a notable departure from Melania Trump's traditionally restrained public image. During an April press conference, she directly addressed the Epstein-related allegations herself, declaring: "The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today."
She also accused critics of acting without "ethical standards, humility and respect."
"I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation," Melania Trump said.
Wolff, meanwhile, has defended his broader commentary about the Trump family as protected speech and opinion. In legal filings tied to the dismissed case, he argued that his characterization of the Trump marriage as a "sham marriage, trophy marriage" was "fair and justified."
The underlying claims involving Epstein, however, remain untested in court. No evidentiary hearing has been held, no witnesses have testified publicly, and Melania Trump has not yet formally filed the defamation lawsuit repeatedly referenced by her legal team.
Her attorney, Alejandro Brito, previously warned Wolff that the alleged statements caused "overwhelming reputational and financial harm" and stated that failure to retract them would leave the first lady with "no alternative" but to pursue litigation.
