Trump sues Wall Street Journal and media mogul Murdoch over story on alleged 2003 letter to Jeffrey Epstein that included sexually inappropriate…
US President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and its parent companies, including media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Trump is demanding at least USD 10 billion in damages. The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in southern Florida, claims that the newspaper published a false story. The article said that back in 2003, Trump sent Jeffrey Epstein a birthday message that included a sexually inappropriate drawing and mentioned some secrets they supposedly shared.
Trump strongly denied the story, calling it untrue and damaging. He also said that the people behind the article acted with bad intentions and tried to harm his image and finances on purpose.
The Wall Street Journal is owned by Dow Jones, which is a part of News Corp, a company started by Rupert Murdoch. Trump had earlier warned that he would take legal action against Murdoch if the article wasn’t corrected.
Reuters, which reported on the lawsuit, said it has not confirmed if the Journal‘s story is true.
“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!!!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday morning.
Trump faces backlash over Epstein files amid growing conspiracy theories
Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender and wealthy financier, died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019.
His death sparked a wave of conspiracy theories, especially among Donald Trump’s supporters. Many believed powerful people were being protected and that the full truth about Epstein’s connections was being hidden by the government.
Tensions grew even more when Trump’s administration went back on its earlier promise to make details of the Epstein investigation public. This angered many of his most loyal followers.
On July 7, the U.S. Justice Department released a memo saying Epstein had taken his own life. It also said there was no secret client list and no proof he had blackmailed any well-known figures.
This disappointed many who were expecting big revelations. Months before, Attorney General Pam Bondi had said that major details would come out, including names and flight records.
Now facing growing pressure, Trump said on Thursday that he had asked Bondi to request a court order to release Epstein’s grand jury testimony.
Trump denies involvement after journal links him to Epstein birthday message
The Wall Street Journal reported that a letter with Donald Trump’s name was found in a birthday book made for Jeffrey Epstein. The book, covered in leather, had birthday notes from several well-known people.
According to the Journal, Trump’s message was typed and placed inside the outline of a naked woman, which looked like it was drawn with a thick black marker. The message ended with the line: “Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret,” and was signed “Donald.”
At the time this birthday book was supposedly made, Epstein hadn’t yet been publicly accused. The first claims that Epstein had been sexually abusing underage girls came out in 2006. That year, he was arrested and later took a plea deal. He was arrested again years later for sex trafficking, and died in jail in 2019, just over a month after that second arrest.
Trump had been seen with Epstein at social events in the 1990s and early 2000s. But in 2019, Trump told reporters he had cut ties with Epstein long before any legal issues became known.
In an old 2002 interview with New York magazine, Trump said he had known Epstein for 15 years. He described him as a “terrific guy” who liked being around women, including “many on the younger side.”
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