US President Donald Trump has threatened to sue comedian Trevor Noah after a joke made during the Grammy Awards referencing Trump and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Noah, who was hosting the Grammy Awards ceremony, quipped while introducing the Song of the Year category: “That is a Grammy that every artist wants almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense because Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton.”
Trump has long acknowledged knowing Epstein socially but has repeatedly denied any involvement in Epstein’s crimes. He says the two fell out around 2004 and that he never visited Epstein’s private island, Little St James. US authorities have said allegations tying Trump to Epstein’s criminal activity are unfounded.
Responding to the joke, Trump said he would pursue legal action, writing on his Truth Social platform that Noah had made a “false and defamatory” statement.
“Noah said, INCORRECTLY about me, that Donald Trump and Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein Island. WRONG!!!” Trump wrote. “I can’t speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close.”
He added that he had never previously been accused of visiting the island, including by what he described as the “Fake News Media,” and warned Noah to “get his facts straight.”
A spokesperson for former president Bill Clinton has previously said Clinton never visited Epstein’s island. Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing by Epstein’s victims.
Epstein was found dead in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. He had purchased Little St James in 1998, and multiple survivors have alleged they were trafficked and abused there.
Trump has increasingly turned to legal threats and lawsuits in response to media coverage and criticism. In recent years, he has taken action against several outlets, including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. In December, he filed a multi-billion-dollar lawsuit in Florida accusing the BBC of defamation over the editing of a Panorama programme.
Noah, a South African-born comedian, previously hosted The Daily Show for seven years and is known for his political satire.