Trump Files Colossal $10 Billion Lawsuit Against WSJ Over Alleged Epstein Birthday Letter

19 July 2025

In a dramatic escalation of his media battles, President Donald Trump filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit on July 18 in a Miami federal court against The Wall Street Journal, its owner News Corp, Rupert Murdoch, CEO Robert Thomson, and two Journal reporters. The suit challenges a story that said Trump’s name appeared in a 2003 birthday greeting to Jeffrey Epstein, complete with a sexually suggestive doodle and mention of shared secrets. Trump vehemently denies the report’s accuracy and accuses the Journal of reckless reporting intended to harm his reputation and finances.

This legal action centers on whether the Journal had direct access to, or ever verified, the letter in question—a critical point that Trump’s legal team asserts exposes a “reckless disregard for the truth,” the standard for defamation involving public figures. Included in the complaint are strong statements: Trump describes the article as “fake news” and called the letter a fabrication, claiming he never wrote or sketched anything of the sort.

Dow Jones, the Journal’s publisher, responded with defiant confidence, affirming its reporting accuracy and vowing to vigorously defend against the lawsuit. But legal analysts doubt the unprecedented damages Trump is seeking—the potential $10 billion award would dwarf previous defamation judgments, including the $1.5 billion verdict in the Alex Jones case and Fox News’s $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. Defamation specialists have remarked that such a high number seems “ridiculously high” and almost certainly symbolic rather than realistic.

The lawsuit does more than seek monetary revenge—it also thrusts the controversy surrounding the Epstein story back into the spotlight. Earlier in July, the Justice Department urged a federal court to unseal grand jury transcripts from the Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases. Those transcripts are expected to fuel ongoing political debate, with some Trump allies pushing for the release of files they claim reveal wrongdoing by elites.

Trump’s aggressive move follows his history of legal skirmishes with media outlets. He has previously sued CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post—cases largely dismissed—but also achieved large out‑of‑court settlements with ABC and Paramount/GMA in late 2024 and early 2025. Unlike those settlements, this lawsuit names headlines and accuses the Journal of deliberately spreading false information that damages both his personal and business standing.

The framing of the story—part of a leather-bound “birthday book” compiled by Maxwell in 2003—taps into broader conspiracy theories that Trump’s base has been drawn to for years. The timing is no accident: conservative voices have expressed outrage over the administration’s earlier decision not to release more Epstein files, and Trump appears to be signalling toughness to his supporters.

Yet this lawsuit throws open broader questions about media accountability and the balance between press freedom and reputational protection. To prevail, Trump’s team must prove “actual malice”—that the Journal’s reporters knowingly lied or acted in reckless disregard for the truth. Dow Jones states it will contest those allegations vigorously, maintaining that journalistic rigor guides its reporting.

As news outlets brace for one of the most significant defamation cases in American history, the story continues to reverberate across legal, political, and media arenas. With court filings and potential depositions looming for high-profile figures—including Rupert Murdoch—this case could reshape norms around celebrity lawsuits and press accountability. Most consequentially, whether Trump can transform this lawsuit into a legal and political victory remains uncertain—but for now, he has taken the fight directly to one of the nation’s most influential newspapers.