The Daily Beast Podcast

Episode: Why Melania's Case Terrifies Team Trump: Wolff
Host: Joanna Coles
Guest: Michael Wolff
Date: January 4, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into Michael Wolff’s legal battle with Melania Trump, the political fallout from Donald Trump’s tumultuous second term, the rise of anti-billionaire sentiment with the emergence of a new Democratic Socialist figure, and the ever-lurking shadow of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Joanna Coles and Michael Wolff dissect what 2026 could bring for Trump, his administration, and American political culture. Wolff provides inside insights on Team Trump’s anxieties, especially around Melania’s legal case, and lays the groundwork for ongoing investigations that may expose significant vulnerabilities.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Legal Chess with Melania Trump

• Service Evasion and Delay Tactics

  • Wolff recounts how serving Melania Trump with his anti-SLAPP lawsuit has been stymied by her avoidance tactics and the Trump camp’s legal maneuvers.
    • Quote:

      “One of the things that we have been trying to do is to serve the first lady. Hit her with papers and saying, you're served. That's hard to do.” —Michael Wolff [01:17]

  • Melania’s team shifted the case to federal court, which restarts the process and delays proceedings:
    • Quote:

      “They went into court to ask that our suit be moved from the New York courts to the federal courts. That's a delay tactic, which means that we have to start the service process all over again.” —Michael Wolff [01:17, revisited at 34:16]

• Why Is This Terrifying for Team Trump?

  • The anti-SLAPP suit opens discovery into Melania and Donald’s relationships and potential Epstein links—territory the Trumps are desperate to avoid.
    • Quote:

      “I file suit. That means I can subpoena them. That means I can ask Melania Trump, Donald Trump, all of their friends, basically, anything I want about the relationship to Jeffrey Epstein. That is something that I think they cannot let happen.” —Michael Wolff [33:28]

• Team Trump’s Response

  • Wolff describes their fear as palpable, evidenced by their frantic legal maneuvers and hiring a global law firm with little libel experience.
  • On possibility of discovery into Melania's residency, which could expose their living arrangement:
    • Quote:

      “We have the possibility of exposing probably one of the most tortured living arrangements among a presidential couple in history.” —Michael Wolff [36:37]

2. Trump’s Second Term: Is It All Downhill from Here?

• Post-Peak Presidency

  • Wolff bluntly states:
    • Quote:

      “I think it's downhill from here for Donald Trump, and I think we can move into words like crumbling because this always happens in second terms…” —Michael Wolff [02:39]

  • Trump is described as doubling down rather than cleaning house—setting himself up for intensified opposition [04:37].

• Policy Failures & Political Fallout

  • Economic woes, surging health care costs, the “RFK Jr. stuff,” and new immigration headlines are mounting.
    • Quote:

      “…the country is not going to take — we’re going to have the measles thing — it is going to be a kind of constant headline this year” —Michael Wolff [03:55]

  • Incapacity in his team (referred to as "Hegseth & Co.") and a looming midterm rebellion by GOP Congresspeople seeking distance [14:21].

• Trump’s Personal Health and Public Image

  • Joanna and Michael reflect on visible declines in Trump’s physical and mental state:
    • Quote:

      “We've seen him falling asleep in cabinet meetings, not once, not twice, but several times. We see him walking with a strange gait…” —Joanna Coles [07:24]

    • Quote:

      “You see the guy and you think, well, that is not the guy who we used to see…” —Michael Wolff [07:03]

3. The Epstein Factor

• 2026: The Year the Epstein Story Closes in on Trump

  • Both agree that deeper revelations tying Trump to Epstein are imminent and politically explosive.
    • Quote:

      “Epstein, Epstein, Epstein. So I believe I've only just started...the Epstein story closes in on Trump.” —Michael Wolff [12:06]

• Epstein and MAGA Mythmaking

  • Trump positioned Epstein as a “Democrat problem,” but evidence is shifting the narrative.
    • Quote:

      “…this was...Trump was—Epstein was about a lot of Democrats who were perverts, beginning with Bill Clinton. That turns out...the proportion has been off...the closest political figure to Jeffrey Epstein [is Trump].” —Michael Wolff [29:18]

4. Billionaires, Populism, and the Leftward Turn

• The Rise of Oran Mamdani and Anti-Billionaire Sentiment

  • The Democratic Socialist Oran Mamdani’s election shows populism is not exclusive to the right:

    • Quote:

      “...how many Trump voters in New York voted for Mamdani. So we have a message that's being absorbed by lots and lots of people...now embracing a message which is not that dissimilar from the Trump message…” —Michael Wolff [15:25]

  • Affordability and anti-elitist messaging now span the spectrum—with the billionaire class increasingly centered as the enemy:

    • Quote:

      “The billionaire takeover of almost every aspect of American life...has happened since the 1980s. And...Trump gets to be president because on a populist platform, but clearly he is the avatar of the billionaire nation.” —Michael Wolff [23:10–24:22]

  • Social media and conspicuous consumption (Jeff Bezos/Lauren Sánchez as examples) are fueling the backlash.

    • Joanna:

      “There is something so grotesque about these displays of conspicuous consumption...you're single handedly starting the revolution here.” [17:06]

• AI, Tech Billionaires, and Economic Anxiety

  • Anxiety around AI disruption combines with visible billionaire influence to drive popular unrest [24:53].

5. Questions from Listeners & Melania’s Origins

• Melania’s “Einstein Visa,” Immigration History, and Paolo Zampoli

  • Listeners' questions focus on Melania's visa and the relationships that led her to Trump.

    • Quote:

      “How did she get her Einstein Visa? ...she was a model not traditionally associated with getting an Einstein Visa. And also she wasn't a supermodel.” —Joanna Coles [41:17]

    • Wolff:

      “She was hardly working. ...She only becomes a supermodel in quotes when she begins her relationship with Donald Trump...” [41:55]

  • Paolo Zampoli, who brought Melania to NYC and remains connected to Trump circles, is now under more scrutiny:

    • Quote:

      “He will no longer evade that scrutiny.” —Michael Wolff [46:05]

  • Their legal team’s obstructionism is partly due to the risk that Melania, if deposed, could be forced to clarify her immigration history and Trump-Epstein links under oath [43:07–43:41].

  • On whether Melania would plead the Fifth:

    • Quote:

      “She'll be directed by the court to answer the question. She has to sit for a deposition.” —Michael Wolff [43:37]

6. The Grift of the Century

• The discussion frames Trump’s self-enrichment while president as historically unprecedented:

  • Quote:

    “Trump has already made billions. He will make, he will make by the time he leaves the presidency, $10 billion at least.” —Michael Wolff [10:29]

  • By comparison, Bill Clinton’s $20 million in post-presidential earnings is “small fry grift.” [11:29]

7. Listener Support & Case Funding

• Wolff reports massive public interest and small-dollar support for his case against Melania:
  • Over 20,000 contributors and nearly $800,000 raised via GoFundMe [38:17].
  • Quote:

    “You can see the role. $5 $20 $53 dollars it’s quite amazing...” —Michael Wolff [39:06]

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• On Trump’s decline:

  “Everything he does now catches up to him...I just want what I want and I want it now. And all of this stuff, the chickens come home to roost.” —Michael Wolff [02:39]

• On Trump’s health:

  “It's very clear when he talks about having regular mental health tests or cognitive tests...I think he's not [acing these tests]...” —Joanna Coles [08:03]

• On Melania’s legal danger:

  “She cannot let this happen. So she will either...run out the clock on this...every delay tactic that's available to them, they will use.” —Michael Wolff [44:05–44:38]

• On billionaire dominance:

  “The problem with money is that everything gravitates to it...There’s no room for anyone else, no concern for everyone else, and everyone becomes a second-class citizen.” —Michael Wolff [22:13]

• Listener on Melania’s “Einstein Visa”:

  “I mean, far from it. She was hardly working. You know, she only becomes a supermodel...when she begins her relationship with Donald Trump...” —Michael Wolff [41:55]

Section Timestamps

• Legal maneuvers & serving Melania: 01:17, expanded at 33:28–36:56
• Trump's second-term woes & decline: 02:22–06:09, 07:24–09:24
• Epstein’s shadow over Trump: 12:04, 29:04–30:44
• Billionaires, Mamdani, and populist backlash: 15:06–24:22
• Listener Q&A on Melania’s career, visa, Paolo Zampoli: 41:17–46:10
• GoFundMe campaign & grassroots support: 38:17
• Case implications & future revelations: 44:00–45:46

Final Notes

• Joanna and Michael preview their intentions to dig deeper into Trump’s finances, Melania’s background, the billionaire takeover of politics, and the truth about the Trump–Epstein relationship in upcoming episodes.
• The tone is frank, sometimes sardonic, mixing political insight with cultural critique.
• The episode leaves listeners with a sense of mounting pressure on Team Trump, coming from both legal and public fronts.