Trump files $10 billion lawsuit against WSJ over mention of Epstein in article
On Friday, July 18, United States President Donald Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and its owners and journalists, accusing the publication of defamation over a story that mentioned his name in the context of a birthday greeting addressed to Jeffrey Epstein more than 20 years ago. This was reported by Reuters.
The lawsuit was filed in a Miami federal court. It states that the WSJ article reported on a 2003 congratulatory message Trump sent to Epstein that allegedly contained a sexually charged drawing and hints of shared "secrets".
The American president insists that this information is fake and has caused him "enormous" financial and reputational damage. The defendants in the case are the Dow Jones publishing house, the News Corp media holding, its CEO Robert Thomson, the company's owner Rupert Murdoch and two reporters .
Epstein, a disgraced financier and sex offender, committed suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019. His case spawned conspiracy theories that became popular among Trump supporters who believed that the government was hiding Epstein's ties to wealthy and powerful people.
"We have just filed a lawsuit against everyone involved in publishing a false, malicious, defamatory, fake article in the worthless rag that is The Wall Street Journal," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
A Dow Jones spokesperson said in a statement: "We have full confidence in the thoroughness and accuracy of our reporting and will vigorously defend ourselves against any legal action".
The lawsuit calls Trump's birthday greeting "fake" and says the newspaper published its article to damage the US president's reputation.
"It is noteworthy that the article does not explain whether the defendants received a copy of the letter, whether they saw it, whether it was described to them, or any other circumstances that might otherwise lend credibility to the article," the document says.
The lawsuit states that the amount of compensation should be $10 billion.
Epstein is an American financier, philanthropist, and sex offender. In 2019, he was charged with sexual exploitation of minors in Florida and New York. Court documents allege that at least 40 underage girls were brought to Epstein's mansion for sexual contact.
On August 10, 2019, Epstein was found dead in his pre-trial detention cell. According to official reports, the cause of death was suicide.
- On July 5, 2025, Musk accused Trump of involvement in the scandalous Epstein case and involvement in sexual crimes, and called for his impeachment and replacement with Vance.
- On July 18, the WSJ published an article stating that Trump may have written an obscene congratulatory note to Epstein. US President accused the publication of false information and said he would sue.
- On the same day, the US President ordered to declassify materials in the Epstein case.
Comments