After warning media mogul Rupert Murdoch personally that a purported letter to Jeffrey Epstein was fake, President Trump followed through on his threat to sue the Wall Street Journal when the paper published the story anyway.
An explosive WSJ article, published Thursday evening, claimed Trump contributed to a collection of “bawdy” birthday messages compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003. According to the report, Trump’s alleged contribution included a theatrical-style dialogue with lines like “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey” and ending with “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.” The paper also reported the letter included a drawing of a nude woman with Trump’s signature.
Trump immediately pushed back, calling the entire thing fabricated. “The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein. These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures,” he wrote on Truth Social. “I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his ‘pile of garbage’ newspaper, the WSJ. That will be an interesting experience!!!” he posted.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt backed up Trump’s denial, posting on X that “WSJ refused to show us the letter and conceded they don’t even have it in their possession. When we asked them to verify the alleged document, they’re basing their ENTIRE fake story on it.”
On Friday, Trump followed through with his threat by filing a $10 billion defamation lawsuit in Miami federal court, targeting not just the newspaper but Murdoch himself, News Corp, Dow Jones, and the two reporters who wrote the fiery piece.
“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 announced afterwards on Truth Social. “This lawsuit is filed not only on behalf of your favorite President, ME, but also in order to continue standing up for ALL Americans who will no longer tolerate the abusive wrongdoings of the Fake News Media.”
According to Trump’s legal team, this wasn’t a surprise attack. His lawyers claim they specifically warned the Journal before publication that the story was false. In an email cited in court documents, Trump’s representatives told the newspaper: “President Trump did not author the purported letter.”
The legal battle comes at a sensitive political moment for Trump regarding Epstein. His administration has faced mounting pressure from supporters who expected the release of a secret “client list” that would expose the infamous sex offender’s connections to other powerful figures. Instead, the Justice Department released a memo earlier this month stating that Epstein had no incriminating “client list” and didn’t attempt to blackmail prominent figures.
Rather than let the media narrative fester any further, Trump took control by directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek release of grand jury testimony from Epstein’s sex trafficking case. By Friday evening, DOJ officials filed a motion asking a federal court to unseal those transcripts, citing “extensive public interest.”
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