President Donald Trump has threatened to take legal action against Trevor Noah after the comedian made an 'Epstein island' comment at the Grammy Awards.
During the 2026 Grammy Awards, the host took aim at Trump in front of a star-studded audience, joking about the 79-year-old's links to Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous island.
The quip came just before the announcement of the Song of the Year winner.
Noah, addressing the crowd, joked: “Song of the Year – 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.”
The joke prompted gasps and laughter from the audience, with the 41-year-old South African comic adding: “Oh, I told you it’s my last year! What are you going to do about it?”
Donald Trump's Response
Trump was clearly not amused as he took to Truth Social to share a post blasting the comedian, calling him a “total loser” and warning him to “get his facts straight, and get them straight fast.”
The president, who has been linked socially to the convicted sex offender, immediately denied the suggestion that he had ever visited Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean, Little Saint James, which has been at the center of Epstein’s sex trafficking operation.
Although he had traveled on Epstein’s private jet a few times, he has always denied any involvement in Epstein’s criminal activities.
Trump wrote: "The Grammy Awards are the WORST, virtually unwatchable!
"CBS is lucky not to have this garbage litter their airwaves any longer.
"The host, Trevor Noah, whoever he may be, is almost as bad as Jimmy Kimmel at the Low Ratings Academy Awards."
“Noah said, INCORRECTLY about me, that Donald Trump and Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein Island.
"WRONG!!! I can’t speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close, and until tonight’s false and defamatory statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media."
The president continued, threatening legal action: “It looks like I’ll be sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an M.C., and suing him for plenty$.”
Governor Newsom Takes a Jab at Trump’s Outburst
In response to Trump’s social media tirade, California Governor Gavin Newsom, a frequent critic of the president, mocked Trump’s post with a sarcastic “press release” on X (formerly Twitter).
“I CAN’T BELIEVE VERY TALENTED ARTISTS LIKE KID ROCK AND NICKI MINAJ WERE SNUBBED AGAIN AND WILL BE WALKING HOME WITH ZERO (0) GRAMMYS,” he wrote in an exaggerated manner.
He continued with a tongue-in-cheek mock award announcement: “THE HATERS WILL SAY THEY ARE “TRASH” ARTISTS WHO ARE JUST DESPERATE FOR ATTENTION. WRONG!!! THEY ARE OKAY ARTISTS WHO ARE DESPERATE FOR ATTENTION. THEIR RECENT PR “PERFORMANCES” ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO EARN A PARTICIPATION PRIZE AT MINIMUM.”
"BECAUSE THE GRAMMYS FAILED, I WILL BE AWARDING KID AND NICKI THE CALIFORNIA MUSIC PARTICIPATION PEACE PRIZE (AT THE NEWSOM KENNEDY CENTER), A VERY PRESTIGIOUS AWARD DECIDED BY MY “PEACE” BOARD, WHICH I ALONE APPOINT," he continued.
“THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. —GOVERNOR GCN," he signed off.
A Politically Charged Grammy Ceremony
While Trump’s latest feud with Noah made headlines, the 2026 Grammy Awards were also marked by a strong political tone from performers.
Several artists took the stage to make bold statements against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with speeches urging solidarity and justice.
Billie Eilish, accepting Song of the Year, spoke out against ICE: “No one is illegal on stolen land, and it’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now...
"I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and the people matter. ‘F*** ICE’ is all I want to say, sorry," per The Guardian.
Kehlani, who won two R&B awards, echoed similar sentiments: “Together we’re stronger in numbers to speak against all the injustice going on in the world right now…
"I hope everybody’s inspired to join together as a community of artists.”
Bad Bunny delivered one of the night’s most poignant statements: “ICE out. We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens.
"We are humans and we are Americans… The hate gets more powerful with more hate.
"The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love.”