This Daily Beast Headline is Garbage

Anna Paulina Luna is a Republican congresswoman who represents the 13th district in Florida. She won her seat in the 2022 election with support from President Trump.

Today, the Daily Beast is promoting a story based on a new book from a journalist at Axios which is supposed to be scandalous I guess but which in fact shows President Trump being a gracious person. The story is headlined, “‘Don’t Tell Melania’: Trump Once Offered Rising MAGA Star His Bed.” Sounds salacious but the headline is quickly undercut by the actual story:

Donald Trump once offered a MAGA newcomer his bed while she was feeling unwell, but told her to keep it a secret from Melania, according to a new bombshell book.

The president made the offer aboard his personal jet in 2023, when Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, 35, was pregnant.

“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,” Trump reportedly told Luna.

“Just don’t tell Melania. She doesn’t like other women on my bed,” he joked.

The Daily Beast story links back to a story published by the Independent. The headline isn’t any better (“‘Just don’t tell Melania’: Trump once offered an ill Anna Luna his bed as his behind-closed-doors comments are unveiled”) but in this case the story makes clear in the first line that Trump’s comments were a joke.

President Donald Trump once offered Rep. Anna Luna his bed while she was feeling unwell and joked, “don’t tell Melania,” according to a new book.

Comments reportedly made by the president in private have been revealed in a new book titled Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power by Axios reporter Alex Isenstadt…

Steven Cheung, Trump’s White House communications director, said the book was “a work of fiction” when approached by The Independent for comment.

The book itself may be a work of fiction but this particular story is basically true. Rep. Luna posted a statement on X explaining what happened and how she saw it as a kind gesture by the President at the time. Significantly, she notes her husband was there with her when Trump extended the offer.

I seldom respond to nasty headlines because I don’t like giving trash credibility, 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.… https://t.co/D1QyG0eYde

— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) March 17, 2025

I seldom respond to nasty headlines because I don’t like giving  trash credibility, 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. 

I was very pregnant and at the time experiencing pre-eclampsia symptoms, but was not diagnosed. 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. He also assured me that they had a medical team on board in case anything happened and they were aware of how pregnant I was. 

This was the most compassionate thing that could’ve been done at the time. I find it disgusting that the author fails to recognize that. A few weeks later, I was induced because I did have pre-eclampsia. The author of this book never reached out to me for comment. Which means that this book is likely going to be a shit hit piece. If people in POTUS orbit are talking to this author, they need to be cut off immediately. This is gross.

It seems pretty relevant that Rep. Luna’s husband was there. It obviously undermines the whole thrust of the headlines that this was some kind of salacious offer. Neither story mentions the husband and I wonder if that’s because he was left out of the book the stories are based on or if he’s mentioned in the book but the journalists left him out.

In any case, instead of a small but positive story about Trump acting like a gentleman, the media has turned this into a trash headline, knowing that resistance journalism brings the clicks.