A n emerging rift between Melania Trump and Hunter Biden escalated Thursday when the son of former President Joe Biden issued an expletive-laden response to the first lady's demand that he apologize for an allegation he made about her alleged prior ties to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump threatened to file a lawsuit against Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden, accusing him of making "false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements" during an interview in which he claimed Jeffrey Epstein introduced her to her husband, President Donald Trump.