Melania Trump’s Book Publisher Reportedly Tried To Get CNN To Cough Up $250K to Do an Interview

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

Former First Lady Melania Trump’s publisher requested $250,000 from CNN for an interview, which they now say was a “mistake,” according to a new report.

CNN’s Hadas Gold published a report on Thursday that included details from an email sent by Skyhorse Publishing approximately two months ago about a potential interview on CNN to promote Melania Trump’s new memoir . One email in the exchange between network and publisher read, “CNN shall pay a licensing fee of two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000).” That fee was for an interview, excerpts from the book, and photos.

Gold noted in the report that the fee is similar to others Melania Trump has pulled in recently.

The report reads:

Last month, CNN revealed that the former first lady spoke at two political fundraisers for the Log Cabin Republicans this year, and she was paid $237,500 for an April event, according to former President Donald Trump’s latest financial disclosure form. The payment was listed as a “speaking engagement.”

Records show Melania Trump was also paid $250,000 for a Log Cabin Republican event in December 2022, one of three payments for $250,000 or more that she received for speaking that month, just after the former president announced he was running for reelection, according to Donald Trump’s prior year financial disclosure form.

The request was sent with a Confidentiality and Nondisclosure Agreement, which was never signed. If the confidentiality agreement were broken, Melania Trump and her publisher would be entitled damages of $100,000.

Melania Trump has conducted interviews with Fox News , but the network said they paid no licensing fee.

Tony Lyons , the president and publisher of Skyhorse, told CNN the email was a “miscommunication.”

“Neither Melania nor anyone from her team knew anything about the NDA and the document that was sent reflected an internal miscommunication,” Lyons said. “Had CNN signed an NDA, in the normal course of business, we would have approached Melania’s team to discuss [specifics of the interview].”