News Corp Faces Defamation Lawsuit from Trump; Reports Q3 Revenue Up 1% YoY

Former President Donald Trump has filed a defamation lawsuit against News Corp, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, over an article claiming he wrote a letter to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. Trump denies the existence of the letter or drawing, labeling the report as false. News Corp has yet to comment on the matter.

Former President Donald Trump has filed a defamation lawsuit against News Corp, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, over an article claiming he wrote a letter to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. The lawsuit, which seeks at least $20 billion in damages, alleges that the Journal's parent company engaged in "glaring failures in journalistic ethics and standards of accurate reporting" [1].

The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Miami, accuses the Journal of not publishing the drawing or the letter that its reporters allege Trump authored. Trump's legal team claims that no authentic letter or drawing exists, and that the Journal's story is false [1].

Trump has had a contentious relationship with News Corp and its outlets, including Fox News, which has been a prominent Trump-friendly network. The president has previously sued other media outlets, including ABC and CBS News, over similar allegations. In 2024, he sued ABC News for a false statement made by George Stephanopoulos in a story regarding a New York writer who had accused Trump of sexual abuse [1].

This lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal battles Trump has waged against media outlets. In 2024, he also sued CBS News for its editing of a "60 Minutes" interview with former opponent Kamala Harris [1]. Additionally, Trump has filed lawsuits against tech companies like Meta and X over their handling of his social media accounts [1].

The lawsuit comes as Trump's relationship with Epstein, the late convicted sex offender, has come under increased scrutiny. Trump has had a hot-and-cold professional relationship with Epstein, and the president has denied any wrongdoing regarding Epstein's case [1].

News Corp has not yet commented on the lawsuit. Legal experts consulted by CNN said they could not recall any past instances of a sitting president suing a news outlet over a story. The lawsuit is another example of Trump's aggressive tactics against media outlets that report stories he does not like [1].

References:
[1] https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/18/politics/trump-wall-street-journal-jeffrey-epstein