MSNBC host Ari Melber has locked his account on X after threatening to sue Corey Lewandowski, a prominent member of Donald Trump’s campaign team, for defamation during a heated interview. Lewandowski alleged that Melber had previously claimed Trump “had a bandage on his ear” at the Republican National Convention (RNC) after being shot, describing it as a spectacle.
During the interview, Melber referenced a New York Times article that described Trump as his own biggest prop at the RNC. Melber had noted, “I quoted a New York Times article that said, at the convention, Donald Trump ‘was his own biggest prop,’” insisting that his statements were in line with the article. Lewandowski challenged this, offering to read back Melber’s own words to him.
Melber further clarified, “It was a New York Times quote about how [Trump] had become such an important figure in rebounding from what was a horrific assassination attempt.” Lewandowski persisted, wanting to read Melber’s exact words back to him.
Attempting to clarify his stance, Melber stated, “Fox News, which has been caught in defamation, ran a false piece falsely stating that I said something else that I didn’t say. So, I stand on that. I stand on the New York Times quote.”
Lewandowski responded by asking, “So, you didn’t say, ‘This bandage was a prop, a spectacle from a candidate who’s obsessed with spectacles’?”
Melber denied the claim, saying, “Uh, Mr. Lewandowski, I did not say that. That is a false quote.” Lewandowski insisted, “I have it right here.”
Melber escalated the matter, saying, “What you have is a false quote… I’m putting you on notice, if you continue to repeat falsely that I said that, you will be potentially in a defamation situation because I didn’t say that.” Melber refused to apologize to Trump despite Lewandowski’s prompting.
