U.S. President Donald Trump leaves after signing the “GENIUS Act” into legislation throughout a ceremony within the East Room of the White Home July 18, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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President Donald Trump on Friday adopted by means of on his risk to sue media mogul Rupert Murdoch after his Wall Avenue Journal revealed an article saying that Trump despatched his then-friend Jeffrey Epstein a “bawdy” letter for Epstein’s fiftieth birthday.
Trump, who angrily denies writing the letter, is looking for damages of at least $10 billion within the lawsuit alleging defamation.
Named as defendants within the swimsuit in federal courtroom within the Southern District of Florida are Murdoch, his firm Information Corp and its CEO Robert Thomson, the Journal’s writer, Dow Jones & Co., and the 2 reporters who wrote the article revealed Thursday night.
A Dow Jones spokesperson despatched the next assertion to CNBC: “We’ve full confidence within the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and can vigorously defend in opposition to any lawsuit.”
The swimsuit comes as Trump faces rising stress to have the Justice Division launch its investigative information about Epstein, who killed himself in August 2019 after being arrested on federal youngster intercourse trafficking fees.
The Journal’s article stated that the letter purportedly written by Trump to Epstein in 2003 was amongst paperwork reviewed by prison investigators who in the end constructed prison circumstances in opposition to Epstein and his convicted procurer, Ghislaine Maxwell, who reportedly solicited the letter from the president.
“We’ve simply filed a POWERHOUSE Lawsuit in opposition to everybody concerned in publishing the false, malicious, defamatory, FAKE NEWS “article” within the ineffective “rag” that’s, The Wall Avenue Journal,” Trump wrote in a Reality Social publish on Friday.
Former Govt Chairman of Fox Corp Rupert Murdoch listens as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters within the Oval Workplace of the White Home on February 03, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Pictures
The swimsuit says that, “Defendants Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo co-authored and revealed an article largely centered on President Trump that falsely claimed that he authored, drew, and signed a card to want the late — and totally disgraced — Jeffrey Epstein a cheerful fiftieth birthday.”
“To try and inextricably hyperlink President Trump to Epstein, Defendants Safdar and Palazzolo falsely declare that the salacious language of the letter is contained inside a hand-drawn bare girl, which was created with a heavy marker,” the swimsuit alleges.
“Worse, Defendants Safdar and Palazzolo falsely characterize as incontrovertible fact that President Trump drew the bare girl’s breasts and signed his title ‘Donald’ beneath her waist, ‘mimicking pubic hair.’ “
“Regardless of the obvious failures in journalistic ethics and requirements of correct reporting, Defendants Dow Jones and Information Corp — on the course of Defendants Murdoch and Thomson — revealed to the world the false, defamatory, and malignant statements authored by” the reporters, the swimsuit says.
Trump earlier Friday posted on Reality Social concerning the accusation, saying, “I stay up for getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit in opposition to him and his ‘pile of rubbish’ newspaper, the WSJ. That will probably be an fascinating expertise!!!”
