President Trump is taking another legal swing at Rupert Murdoch's media empire, refiling a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over its reporting linking him to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Miami, accuses the Murdoch-owned newspaper and its top executives of knowingly publishing false claims that caused "overwhelming" damage to Trump's reputation and finances. Named in the suit are media mogul Rupert Murdoch, Dow Jones, News Corp CEO Robert Thomson, and Journal reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo.
Background of the Dispute
The legal action stems from a Journal article about an alleged birthday card sent to Epstein that supposedly bore Trump's signature. Trump insists the card is completely fake, despite lawmakers later releasing it during their Epstein investigation. A federal judge earlier this year tossed out Trump's initial complaint for legal flaws, ruling he failed to meet the tough "actual malice" standard required for public figures in defamation cases.
Trump's Allegations
"At the time of publication, Defendants recklessly disregarded whether the Defamatory Statements were true," Trump's lawyers wrote in the updated filing. The president claims the Journal smeared him by pushing false narratives that have harmed his standing and finances.
Journal's Response
Dow Jones fired back, saying it has "full confidence" in the paper's reporting and plans to fight the lawsuit aggressively. The legal battle marks the latest front in Trump's escalating war with major media outlets, which he accuses of waging a smear campaign against him during his second term.
Trump has also launched lawsuits against The New York Times, the BBC, and The Des Moines Register, while his administration has tightened access for reporters covering federal agencies. Critics argue the president is trying to intimidate the press, but the White House insists Trump is "the most open and accessible president ever."
The case once again drags Epstein's dark legacy into the spotlight. The convicted sex offender died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, fueling years of conspiracy theories about his ties to the rich and powerful. Trump has repeatedly said he cut ties with Epstein long before the financier's criminal scandals exploded publicly in 2006.
Now, with billions on the line, Trump is taking another swing in court.
