FOLLOW US

Former President Donald Trump launched a $10 billion defamation lawsuit Friday against The Wall Street Journal and its owner Dow Jones & Co., alleging he was falsely accused of sending a "bawdy" birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein. In the lawsuit filed in Florida federal court, Trump claims the article is “false, defamatory and malignant,” asserting the letter never existed.

Trump’s filing names News Corp., CEO Robert Thomson, Journal reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Joe Palazzolo, and media magnate Rupert Murdoch as defendants. He denounced the reported birthday note and drawing—allegedly found in Epstein’s archives—as “fabricated to malign my character.”

Accused Claims of Fabrication and Malice

The Journal article, published on July 17, stated that reporters reviewed a letter bearing Trump’s name with a crude sketch of a nude woman. It was released amid calls for more disclosure about his ties to Epstein. Trump’s lawsuit alleges the outlet:

• Misreported that Trump authored, drew, and signed the letter;

• Failed to provide the letter or drawing;

• Did not explain how they procured it.

“The reason for those failures,” Trump argues, “is because no authentic letter or drawing exists.” He claims the story was “concocted” to deceive and malign him.

Journalers Dispute; Dow Jones Vows Defense

In the original story, Safdar and Palazzolo wrote that the letter featured typewritten text framed by a sketch, ending with an obscene birthday wish. Trump strongly refuted the report, asserting it was “fake ... not my language.”

Dow Jones responded Friday, asserting confidence in its reporting and pledging to defend the story vigorously. Trump, meanwhile, took to his platform Truth Social, labeling the Journal “fully disgraced” and promising legal depositions for Murdoch, Thomson, and others.

Legal and Evidentiary Flashpoints

Trump’s lawsuit invokes both defamation per se and defamation per quod, and seeks unspecified damages—including at least $10 billion in punitive and general damages. He accuses Dow Jones and News Corp. of violating journalistic ethics with "malicious intent," claiming the story has reached hundreds of millions of readers, inflicting ongoing reputation and financial damage.

Epstein Investigations and Grand Jury Records

The suit arrives amid renewed scrutiny over the Epstein case. A July 6 DOJ/FBI memo revealed no evidence of Epstein’s alleged “client list” or blackmail scheme involving prominent figures. Additionally, prosecutors in Manhattan are pushing to unseal grand jury testimony from Epstein’s 2019 criminal case. Meanwhile, his associate Ghislaine Maxwell is appealing her 2022 sex trafficking conviction, with her legal team seeking Supreme Court review.