President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump depart for the State of the Union Address at the U.S. Capitol from the White House in Washington, D.C., February 24, 2026. REUTERS/Tom Brenner
There has recently been a "creepy" new addition to President Donald Trump's inner circle, one that he reportedly insists on keeping close to him frequently, and according to his one-time biographer, First Lady Melania Trump was instrumental in linking up the two men.
Michael Wolff is a longtime reporter and author who has had significant access to Trump over the years, notably writing a series a of tell-all books about the chaos behind the scenes in his first term. Earlier this week, he discussed Trump's new friendship with disgraced director and movie producer Brett Ratner, explaining that the president needs new allies due to all of his other officials becoming scapegoats for his failing administration. He also argued that they are cut from the same cloth, given their past associations with Jeffrey Epstein.
During the latest episode of his Daily Beast podcast, "Inside Trump's Head," Wolff expanded on the situation and revealed how Ratner's connection to a top aide for Melania Trump, Marc Beckman, was the key to gaining entry into Trump's inner circle. Beckman has served as an adviser to the first lady for two decades, according to The Daily Beast, and also served as a producer on her recent documentary, which Ratner directed.
"The guy who has become Melania’s sort of main adviser, chief of staff, marketing guru, COO of Melania Enterprises... apparently knew Brett Ratner, and that was the connection,” Wolff explained.
Wolff noted further that Ratner was a baffling choice for the first lady associate with, let alone to direct a feature film about her, given his sordid history and her desperate desire to distance herself from Epstein allegations. Photos from the Justice Department's Epstein files disclosures show the filmmaker alongside the late sex trafficker with his arms around an unknown woman. Ratner claimed that he was engaged to the woman at the time, and that he "had never been in contact" with Epstein before or after the photo.
Allegations of Ratner's improper behavior predate the Epstein story, however. His career was put on ice in 2017 after numerous women, including actress Olivia Munn, accused him of sexual misconduct. It has only been in recent years, thanks to his connections to Trump, that he has found his way back to major projects. He is set to return to the Rush Hour franchise soon, after the president reportedly demanded that a new sequel be greenlit.
“Can you imagine any other first lady’s office approving Brett Ratner?” Wolff's co-host, Joanna Coles, said. “I mean, I’m not saying that Steven Spielberg would have done it, but there are so many directors that could have done this.”
She added later: "I got a note from a producer friend yesterday who’s been at the Cannes Film Festival saying that she... saw Brett Ratner showing everybody his photographs of his new best friend Donald Trump in China."
