Trump sues Wall Street Journal for $10 billion

US President Trump sued the Wall Street Journal on Friday for at least $10 billion after the newspaper reported that Trump appeared in Epstein's birthday album in 2003, with a nude woman's portrait and a reference to a "beautiful secret". Trump called the report "malicious slander".

Activists posted a poster of Trump and Epstein near the US Embassy in London

Epstein and Trump were old acquaintances, and the two had taken photos together many times in their early years. Activists put up a poster of Trump and Epstein near the U.S. Embassy in London

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) "It was Epstein's 50th birthday. (His girlfriend) Maxwell was preparing a special gift to mark the moment. She found Epstein's family and friends, one of whom was Trump," the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) wrote at the beginning of its report on July 18 about Trump writing "pornographic text" to Epstein's 50th birthday album.

The Wall Street Journal said it had reviewed the letter signed by Trump and said the content of the letter was "as vulgar as other letters in the birthday album. There were several lines of printed text in the letter, showing a woman's breasts, and the signature of "Donald" was squiggly below her waist, apparently imitating pubic hair. The letter ended with: "Happy birthday, may every day be filled with beautiful secrets."

In this report, the Wall Street Journal did not publish photos of the letter or related pictures of the birthday album.

Trump sues WSJ for defamation

Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, calling the Wall Street Journal article "false, malicious, and defamatory."

The US president said the lawsuit targets Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones, its News Corporation, owner Murdoch, CEO Robert Thomson, and two reporters, demanding at least $10 billion in damages.

Trump wrote: "This lawsuit is not only on behalf of your favorite president, me, but also to continue to defend all Americans from the abuse of power by the fake news media."

Musk, who fell out with Trump, posted in June 2025 that "Trump is also in the Epstein file, which is the real reason why the file is not made public."Musk, who fell out with Trump, posted in June 2025 that "Trump is also in the Epstein file, which is the real reason why the file is not made public."

Trump denies any connection to the Epstein case. Musk, who had a falling out with Trump, posted in June 2025 that "Trump is also in the Epstein file, which is the real reason why the file has not been made public" Image source: Vuk Valcic/IMAGO

The infamous Epstein has long died

The American financial tycoon Epstein is a registered sex offender and a notorious pedophile. He was arrested in July 2019 for being involved in a sex trafficking case involving minors and died in a New York prison in August. The official statement is that Epstein committed suicide in prison, but because there are many doubts, many people suspect it was murder.

There are many speculations and rumors about the Epstein case, and some conspiracy theories are widely circulated among Trump supporters, who believe that the former US government covered up Epstein's relationship with the powerful.

During the 2024 election campaign, Trump promised to release documents related to the Epstein case once elected, but later changed his mind.

On July 7, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a memorandum of the Department of Justice concluding that Epstein committed suicide and that there was no so-called "Epstein client list" and no evidence that Epstein had blackmailed celebrities.

All of this angered some of Trump's loyal supporters.

Read more: What does the "Epstein file" reveal? Which celebrities are mentioned?

Trump wants to make public the jury testimony in the Epstein case

Under public pressure, Trump said on Thursday that he had instructed the Attorney General to request the court to release the grand jury testimony about Epstein.

The U.S. government filed a motion with the Manhattan Federal Court on Friday to make public the grand jury records of the Epstein and Maxwell cases.

In 2021, Epstein's ex-girlfriend Maxwell (Ghislaine Maxwell) was found guilty of participating in five charges of sexually assaulting underage girls by Epstein. Maxwell is currently appealing her conviction and 20-year sentence to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Pictured: Epstein and his girlfriend, former British socialite Maxwell Pictured: Epstein and his girlfriend, former British socialite Maxwell

Pictured: Epstein and his girlfriend, former British socialite Maxwell. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison in a New York court in 2022 Image source: US Attorney Office/Zuma/picture alliance

Trump said he had parted ways with Epstein long ago

Epstein and Trump were old acquaintances before his death. The two had taken photos together many times in the 1990s and early 21st century, and were neighbors in Florida. In 2002, Trump told the media: "I have known Jeff (Epstein) for 15 years. He is great. It is fun to be with him. It is said that he likes beautiful women like me, and many of the ones he likes are relatively young."

However, in 2019, Trump told reporters that he and Epstein had parted ways long before Epstein was arrested. Trump said, "I haven't spoken to him in 15 years. I'm not a fan of his in the first place." He also denied visiting Epstein's notorious estate in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

"Ridiculous" compensation

A Dow Jones spokesperson said in a statement: "We are confident in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting and will resolutely respond to any lawsuit."

Trump's lawsuit stated that the so-called birthday greeting was "fake" and that the Wall Street Journal published the article to damage Trump's reputation. However, Reuters reported that if Trump wants to win the defamation lawsuit, he must prove that the defendant's behavior was "actually malicious", meaning that they knew the letter was false and still published it.

In addition, the $10 billion in compensation proposed by Trump far exceeds the largest defamation verdict and settlement in history. An experienced lawyer in related litigation told Reuters that the figure was "ridiculously high."

Trump often criticizes the media and takes legal action against it. Last year, he sued CBS for $20 billion. CBS's parent company Paramount agreed this month to pay $16 million to settle the case. Last December, ABC agreed to pay $15 million to settle a similar lawsuit.

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