Dow Jones, the Journal’s publisher, said: “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”
President Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, Rupert Murdoch, and other News Corp executives, alleging the paper falsely linked him to a sexually suggestive birthday message sent to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.
Filed in Miami federal court on Friday, the lawsuit accuses the Journal of publishing a “fake” article claiming Trump’s name appeared on a letter in Epstein’s birthday book that referenced shared secrets and included a crude drawing of a nude woman.
“We have just filed a POWERHOUSE Lawsuit against everyone involved in publishing the false, malicious, defamatory, FAKE NEWS ‘article’ in the useless ‘rag’ that is, The Wall Street Journal,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Dow Jones, the Journal’s publisher, said: “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”
Trump’s base has been pressuring for full release of Epstein-related documents. In response, Trump directed the DOJ to request unsealing of grand jury testimony.
Legal experts note the $10 billion demand would be unprecedented in U.S. defamation law.