Incident
Trump sues Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over Epstein birthday letter story
President Trump sued The Wall Street Journal, its owner Rupert Murdoch and two reporters for at least $10 billion, disputing the newspaper's report describing a bawdy letter he was said to have sent Jeffrey Epstein for a 2003 birthday album.1
What happened
On July 17 and 18, 2025, The Wall Street Journal reported on a letter, featuring a drawing of a naked woman and signed "Donald," that it said had been compiled into a 2003 birthday album for the financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. President Trump filed a defamation suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida against the Journal, its parent News Corp, chief executive Robert Thomson, owner Rupert Murdoch and two reporters, seeking at least $10 billion in damages and calling the story "false, malicious, and defamatory." Trump said he looked forward to questioning Murdoch under oath. In September 2025, Dow Jones, the Journal's publisher, moved to dismiss the case, arguing the suit sought to penalize true reporting and that Trump could not show the actual-malice required of a public figure.213
What reason was given
Stated justificationTrump called the Journal's story "false, malicious, and defamatory" and said he intended to prove it in court.2
What changed for reporting
The lawsuit sought $10 billion in damages from a major news organization and its owner over a single investigative story, and Dow Jones said it was defending reporting it maintained was accurate and later corroborated by documents Congress released.213
Timeline
2025
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump | ordered | President of the United States |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| The Wall Street Journal | outlet | affected |
Sources
- Trump files defamation suit over 'Wall Street Journal' story on his Epstein ties
- Wall Street Journal Seeks to Dismiss Trump's Defamation Lawsuit Over Epstein Letter Story
Claims and evidence
Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.
- Trump said he wanted to question Rupert Murdoch under oath as part of the lawsuit.
I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him
Trump files defamation suit over 'Wall Street Journal' story on his Epstein ties, NPR, 2025-07-17.Claim 361, checked 2026-09-22. - Trump said the Journal's report about the Epstein letter was false and defamatory.
False, malicious, and defamatory
Trump files defamation suit over 'Wall Street Journal' story on his Epstein ties, NPR, 2025-07-17.Claim 360, checked 2026-09-22. - Dow Jones argued the lawsuit was an attempt to penalize the Journal for publishing speech later shown to be true.
In an affront to the First Amendment, the President of the United States brought this lawsuit to silence a newspaper for publishing speech that was subsequently proven true by documents released by Congress to the American public.
Wall Street Journal Seeks to Dismiss Trump's Defamation Lawsuit Over Epstein Letter Story, Variety, 2025-09-23.Claim 362, checked 2026-09-22.