President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal’s parent company, its owner and two reporters, over a report claiming Trump wrote a “bawdy” personal note to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.
The lawsuit, filed in Miami, names Dow Jones, News Corp and conservative media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, claiming the paper slandered him and violated libel laws.
Earlier, Trump had threatened that he would force Murdoch “to testify in my lawsuit against him and his ‘pile of garbage’ newspaper”.
Trump says the note, which the paper reported he’d sent for Epstein’s 50th birthday, is “fake”. It comes amid a backlash from his supporters over his handling of the Epstein case files.
Trump acknowledged that he and members of his staff attempted to halt publication of the story. He said the newspaper and Murdoch “were warned directly” they would be sued if they printed the article, describing it as “false, malicious, and defamatory”.
The lawsuit also names the two reporters who wrote the story, Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo.
Earlier on Friday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, writing: “I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his ‘pile of garbage’ newspaper, the WSJ. That will be an interesting experience!!!”
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), a letter bearing Trump’s name “contained several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker”.
“Inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person,” the paper reports.
It reportedly contains a joking reference that “Enigmas never age” and allegedly ends with the words: “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump denied writing the note after the article was published on Thursday, posting: “These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures.”
On Friday, Trump declined to answer reporters’ questions about his relationship with Epstein, and why he had not ordered the release of more documents.
Instead, he asked the Attorney General to produce documents related to secretive grand jury testimony, which could prove to be a lengthy court process. It’s unclear when or if those documents will be released, or if they contain the details Trump’s supporters have been demanding be released publicly.
Trump’s order concerning grand jury testimony came after days of sustained pressure from some of his most loyal supporters demanding further disclosures in the Epstein case.
Some Trump loyalists have called for Attorney General Pam Bondi to resign after she reversed course on releasing certain documents related to Epstein.
In February, Bondi said that a “client list” belonging to Epstein was “sitting on my desk right now”. Then last week, her office announced that there is no such “client list”.
Chad Bianco, a Republican sheriff running for California governor, told BBC News that Trump’s handling of the Epstein files was “not what I was expecting” and that “millions” of his followers are disappointed.
“We feel like we’re being talked down to like stupid children.”
Trump and Murdoch have a relationship that goes back decades.
The 94-year-old media tycoon’s media empire, which includes Fox News, is often credited with helping propel Trump to the White House.
But the two grew more distant over the years and their relationship started to collapse following Trump’s loss at the ballot box in 2020 to Joe Biden.
“We want to make Trump a non-person,” Murdoch wrote in an email that emerged during court battles over Fox’s role spreading misinformation in the 2020 election.
Trump’s more recent victory in 2024 appeared to bring the two together again. During a February visit to the White House, Trump referred to Murdoch as “a class by himself” and “an amazing guy”.
On Sunday, the two men were pictured together attending the Fifa World Cup in New Jersey.
Attorney General Bondi was also seen watching the match from the president’s private box.
Meanwhile, members of Congress are pushing to pass a “discharge petition” that would force Bondi to “make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys’ Offices” relating to Epstein.
The effort has brought together some of Congress’s fiercest opponents, including Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who are both signed on as supporters.