Trump sues Wall Street Journal, Rupert Murdoch over Epstein letter story
President Donald Trump has filed a defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and its parent company, accusing the publication of libel after it reported that Trump contributed a lewd letter as part of a birthday gift for convicted financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for Southern Florida, names Dow Jones, News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, and Wall Street Journal reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Joe Palazzolo as defendants. Trump’s legal team claims the article, published Thursday, was “false, malicious, defamatory, and intended to malign President Trump’s character.” The suit seeks $10 billion in damages, News.Az reports, citing The Washington Post.
"We have just filed a POWERHOUSE Lawsuit against everyone involved in publishing the false, malicious, defamatory, FAKE NEWS ‘article’ in the useless ‘rag’ that is, The Wall Street Journal,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday afternoon.
The Journal article detailed a 2003 collection of birthday notes compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein’s 50th birthday, claiming Trump’s contribution included a drawing of a naked woman alongside a handwritten note reading: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump has denied both writing the letter and drawing the image, calling the story “fake” during interviews and on social media. However, the Journal noted that four of Trump’s drawings were previously sold at auction during his first term as president.
The controversy comes as the Epstein case continues to generate political turmoil. The Justice Department recently declined to release further information about Epstein’s network, fueling anger among some of Trump’s supporters who expected him to pursue transparency around the scandal.
Facing mounting political pressure, Trump on Thursday ordered the Justice Department to seek the release of grand jury testimony from the Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell investigations, citing “extensive public interest.” The DOJ filed motions Friday to make transcripts public, though grand jury evidence is rarely released due to witness protection laws.
The Epstein controversy has also complicated Trump’s legislative agenda. Congressional Democrats have delayed votes on Trump’s proposed $9 billion spending cuts, using the standoff to demand the release of additional Epstein-related files.
Trump has a long history of suing media organizations, though many of his previous defamation suits have been dismissed. However, in his second term, he has achieved several high-profile out-of-court settlements, including agreements with ABC and Paramount.
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