Donald Trump

The sun had scarcely risen on Monday morning when President Donald Trump erupted on Truth Social, hurling insults at Trevor Noah and pledging legal action against the Grammy Awards host over a joke made during Sunday's ceremony.

The jab was brief — just a few seconds of stage banter during the 68th annual Grammy Awards — but it has now triggered another salvo in Trump's aggressive litigation campaign against media entities and personalities.

Noah, hosting the event for what he announced would be his sixth and final year, made a quip suggesting Trump desired Greenland 'almost as much' as he wanted Jeffrey Epstein's private island to spend time with Bill Clinton. Trump responded by labelling Noah 'a total loser' and declaring: '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$.'

The threat arrives amid a broader pattern of Trump weaponising the courts against journalists and entertainers. In July, Paramount agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit over CBS's editing of a Kamala Harris interview.

Last December, ABC News settled a dispute with Trump for $15 million, to be donated to his presidential library, over comments made by anchor George Stephanopoulos. Trump's reference in his Truth Social post to 'Little George Slopadopolus' signals his intention to follow the same playbook against Noah and CBS.

'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,' Trump wrote. Yet the Justice Department's release of 3 million additional pages of Epstein investigation documents on 30 January names Trump more than 3,000 times — although, as Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche noted on State of the Union, some tips involving Trump relied on anonymous and second-hand information that cannot be practically investigated.

Noah's Epstein Quip Amid Broader Grammy Political Moment And CBS's Exit

Noah also deployed darker humour about Trump's litigation record during the ceremony. 'The Grammys are airing completely live,' he announced, 'because if we edited any of the show, the president would sue CBS for $16 billion.'

The remark drew audible gasps and laughter, acknowledging what has become an uncomfortable reality in American entertainment — the occupant of the Oval Office has become a constant threat to broadcast networks.

Sunday's ceremony marked CBS's final year broadcasting the Grammys after 26 years; ABC will take over next year. Noah also used his opening to announce what he called his 'term limit' philosophy, saying: 'I believe in term limits. I want to set an example for anyone watching this show. Leave when your time is up.' The quip appeared directed at Trump, who has openly discussed seeking a third presidential term.

Bad Bunny's Grammy Victory Overshadowed By Trump's Epstein Fury

The political tensions at the Grammys extended beyond Noah's monologue. Bad Bunny won Album of the Year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, becoming the first Latin artist in the ceremony's 68-year history to claim the award.

Yet his acceptance speech pivoted immediately to immigration: 'Before I say thanks to God, I'm going to say: ICE out. We're not savages, we're not animals, we're not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.'​​

The remark drew a standing ovation, but it also underscored the real human stakes beneath the entertainment spectacle. Dozens of artists wore 'ICE OUT' pins throughout the evening, protesting the administration's deportation crackdowns.

Bad Bunny, who was born in Puerto Rico and holds American citizenship, recalled announcing in 2024 that he would not perform on mainland America due to fears his concerts could become sites of ICE raids.

Now, accepting music's highest honour, he stood on the Grammy stage to claim his people's humanity before the nation.​

Yet Trump's overnight fury consumes the narrative, reducing a night of musical celebration to another chapter in his vendetta against perceived slights. Noah, unflinching, closed his remarks with a knowing smirk: 'I told you it's my last year. What are you going to do about it?'​

Originally published on IBTimes UK