Trump files $10 billion defamation lawsuit against Murdoch, News Corp, Dow Jones, and WSJ reporters

Trump files $10 billion defamation lawsuit against Murdoch, News Corp, Dow Jones, and WSJ reporters

U.S. President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch, News Corp, Dow Jones, and two Wall Street Journal reporters, seeking at least $10 billion in damages. The lawsuit, filed in the southern district of Florida federal court in Miami, alleges libel and slander over a report that Trump sent Jeffrey Epstein a lewd letter and sketch for his 50th birthday in 2003.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump allegedly sent Epstein a sexually suggestive drawing and reference to secrets they shared. The letter was reportedly a contribution to a birthday album compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence in Florida after being found guilty of sex-trafficking and other charges in 2021.

Trump vehemently denied the Journal report and claimed the letter was fake. He stated that he warned Murdoch, the founder of News Corp, that he planned to sue if the report was published. Trump has previously launched numerous legal actions against media outlets, with mixed results. Most ended in defeat, but he has won over $30 million in settlements from legal actions against ABC News and Paramount over the past year.

The lawsuit is the first that Trump has filed against a media company while in office. Advocates for press freedom have cast doubt on the merits of the case, noting that the complaint is heavy on arguments about the story's reach and how quickly it went viral on social media. They argue that asking for $10 billion in damages is not related to any plausible damages a plaintiff might have suffered if the story turns out to be false.

The case marks another chapter in the chequered relationship between Trump and Murdoch. The pair have shared roots in New York's tabloid culture and recently realigned. Trump has faced an extraordinary backlash from his own supporters over his refusal to release files about Epstein. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 69% of respondents thought the federal government was hiding details about Epstein's clients.

In response to the outrage, Trump ordered his attorney general, Pam Bondi, to seek the unsealing of grand jury testimony from the prosecution against Epstein. Epstein was found hanging dead in a New York prison cell while awaiting trial on charges of sexually exploiting dozens of underage girls.

The case has sparked conspiracy theories about an alleged international cabal of wealthy pedophiles, with Epstein's death accelerating the narrative. Trump's supporters have clamored for revelations about Epstein's supposed list of clients, but Bondi declared there was no such list.

The lawsuit comes as Trump continues to push back against what he perceives as abusive wrongdoings by the "Fake News Media."

References:
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/18/trump-libel-lawsuit-wsj-dow-jones-rupert-murdoch
[2] https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/donald-trump-sues-dow-jones-news-corp-rupert-murdoch-and-wsj-reporters-for-libel-93CH-4142581
[3] https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-sues-dow-jones-news-corp-rupert-murdoch-wsj-reporters-libel-court-records-2025-07-18/