Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) is pushing back against what she calls a misleading and “disgusting” headline from The Daily Beast that, she argues, took an interaction with President Donald Trump out of context.
The headline, based on a book excerpt published by Axios, framed Trump’s remarks in a way that implied something inappropriate, despite the fact that the original report noted he was joking.
The situation stems from a passage in “Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power,” written by Axios reporter Alex Isenstadt. The book recounts a 2023 moment when Trump allegedly offered Luna a place to rest on his jet while she was pregnant and feeling unwell, according to Fox News.
Trump reportedly told Luna, “If you need a bed to lay down in, there’s one here on the plane. If you feel sick and you need to lay there, you can lay on it.”
“Just don’t tell Melania. She doesn’t like other women on my bed.”
While Axios acknowledged that Trump’s comment was made in jest, The Daily Beast ran a headline emphasizing the phrase, “Don’t Tell Melania,” with a subheading suggesting the remark shed new light on Trump’s marriage. The outlet also shared the article on X, stating, “The new revelations reveal how Trump reportedly offered a female congresswoman his bed, as long as she kept it a secret from his wife.”
Luna took to X to denounce The Daily Beast’s coverage and accused the book’s author of not seeking her comment before publishing the story.
“I seldom respond to nasty headlines because I don’t like giving trash credibility,” she wrote. “However, being that there is allegedly a book coming out with me named and attacking @POTUS, his marriage, our first lady, and frankly implying something distasteful about me, I am responding.”
Luna explained that she was experiencing pre-eclampsia symptoms at the time of the flight and that Trump’s offer was made in a respectful and compassionate manner.
“As soon as @realDonaldTrump boarded the plane, being the gentleman and good person that he is, said if I did not feel well, I could use the back room. He did this in a respectful way and in front of my husband, of which we thanked him,” Luna said.
She called the media’s portrayal of the incident “disgusting” and criticized those working with Isenstadt.
“The author of this book never reached out to me for comment,” Luna continued. “Which means that this book is likely going to be a s— hit piece.”
“If people in POTUS orbit are talking to this author, they need to be cut off immediately. This is gross.”
Shortly after The Daily Beast shared its article, it was flagged by X’s Community Notes, which stated:
“The woman in question was Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who has responded publicly to the allegation. She claims nothing inappropriate occurred, she was not asked for comment, and this situation is being presented out of context.”
Despite this pushback, The Daily Beast has not responded to the criticism or revised its article.
Meanwhile, Axios defended its reporting, stating in response to Fox News, “In our report, Axios correctly portrayed and contextualized comments made by President Trump during an interaction that he had with Rep. Luna, an interaction she confirmed in her statement did in fact happen.”
Trump’s campaign also dismissed Isenstadt’s book, with White House communications director Steven Cheung calling it part of a larger pattern of media attacks on the former president.
“These works of fiction either belong in the bargain bin of the fantasy section in a discount bookstore or should be repurposed as tissue paper,” Cheung told Fox News.
The dispute is the latest example of what Trump and his allies describe as media bias aimed at undermining the former president and those in his political circle.
