Trump litigation is entering an aggressive new phase, as former President Donald Trump filed a massive $20 billion libel lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and its parent company, escalating his legal war with mainstream media.
Trump’s legal team describes the action as one of the most significant and expensive defamation suits ever brought by a U.S. president.
Targeting the Journal and Murdoch
This lawsuit adds another chapter to Trump’s increasingly fraught relationship with media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Despite close ties to Fox News—which employs his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump—Trump has repeatedly lashed out at Murdoch when coverage turns critical.
“I hope Rupert and his ‘friends’ are looking forward to the many hours of depositions and testimonies they will have to provide in this case,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Record-Breaking Presidential Litigation
First Amendment attorney Ted Boutrous emphasized the historical weight of the lawsuit:
“As far as I can tell, no sitting president has ever sued a reporter or media outlet or media executive for allegedly defaming him.”
