President Donald Trump has escalated his legal battle with the media by filing a $20 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, its parent company Dow Jones, owner Rupert Murdoch, and two reporters over a story alleging he sent a sexually suggestive letter to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. The lawsuit, filed in Miami federal court, marks an unprecedented move by a sitting president against a major news outlet .
Key Allegations in the Lawsuit
Trump’s 18-page complaint accuses the Journal of publishing a “false and defamatory” article claiming he authored a birthday note for Epstein featuring a hand-drawn nude sketch and a message reading, “Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.” The suit argues the letter is fabricated, citing “glaring failures in journalistic ethics” since the Journal did not produce the original document .
– Defendants: The suit names reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Joe Palazzolo, News Corp CEO Robert Thomson, and Murdoch, whom Trump claims ignored his pre-publication warnings to kill the story .
– Damages Sought: Trump seeks $20 billion, a figure legal experts call “ridiculously high” for defamation cases, surpassing even the $1.5 billion verdict against Alex Jones .
– Trump’s Defense: The president denies ever drawing such an image or using the phrasing attributed to him, calling it “not my language” .
Context: Epstein Scrutiny and DOJ Motion
The lawsuit coincides with mounting pressure on the Trump administration to release Epstein-related documents. On Friday, the Justice Department—at Trump’s direction—asked a New York court to unseal grand jury transcripts from Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case, citing “intense public scrutiny” . However:
– Challenges: Grand jury materials are typically sealed, and redactions to protect victims could delay release for months .
– Political Fallout: Conservative allies, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, initially criticized Trump’s handling of Epstein files but rallied behind him after the Journal story .
Media Standoff
Dow Jones vowed to “vigorously defend” the lawsuit, standing by its reporting . Legal analysts note Trump faces a high bar to prove “actual malice”—that the Journal knowingly published falsehoods . The case also highlights Trump’s fraught relationship with Murdoch, whose Fox News has often supported him but whose Journal has run critical coverage .
Broader Implications
– First Amendment: Experts call the suit a threat to press freedoms, with First Amendment attorney Ted Boutros noting no sitting president has ever sued a news outlet for defamation .
– Precedent: Trump recently settled suits against ABC ($16 million) and CBS ($16 million), suggesting a pattern of leveraging litigation to silence critics .
