In a not-so expected legal escalation, former President Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, its parent company News Corp, and Rupert Murdoch, alleging they published a false and malicious report about his alleged connection to Jeffrey Epstein.
The lawsuit, filed in Miami federal court, claims the WSJ’s story about a 2003 birthday greeting containing a sexually suggestive drawing and references to shared secrets with Epstein caused “overwhelming” financial and reputational damage.
The Epstein Connection: Trump Denies Allegations Amid Growing Scrutiny
Trump vehemently denies the WSJ’s report, calling the alleged birthday note “fake” and accusing the newspaper of publishing defamatory “fake news.” The lawsuit argues the article failed to prove the existence of the letter, stating: “The Article does not explain whether Defendants have obtained a copy of the letter, have seen it, or have had it described to them.”
Trump, who has acknowledged knowing Epstein socially in the 1990s and early 2000s, insists he cut ties with the disgraced financier long before Epstein’s sex crimes became public in 2006.
The lawsuit comes as Trump faces mounting pressure from supporters demanding transparency about Epstein’s alleged “client list.” Despite a Justice Department memo concluding Epstein died by suicide and that no incriminating list exists, conspiracy theories persist.
Trump recently directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of Epstein grand jury transcripts, a move seen as appeasing his base. However, legal analysts caution that unsealed documents may not satisfy those hoping for explosive revelations about high-profile associates.
Why It Matters
The Wall Street Journal remains defiant, with a Dow Jones spokesperson stating: “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting.” The newspaper claims the alleged birthday book—a leather-bound collection of messages to Epstein—included Trump’s note alongside contributions from other high-profile figures. The disputed entry allegedly featured a hand-drawn nude outline and the signature “Donald,” concluding with: “Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Archival photos show Trump socializing with Epstein in the 1990s, and a 2002 New York magazine quote had Trump praising Epstein as “a lot of fun” who “likes beautiful women on the younger side.”
Yet by 2019, Trump claimed they’d had a “falling out 15 years prior.” With Ghislaine Maxwell appealing her 2021 sex-trafficking conviction, and the DOJ pushing to unseal Epstein grand jury testimony, the saga continues to haunt Trump’s political future—and now threatens Murdoch’s media empire in an unexpected billion-dollar legal showdown.
