Trump and Murdoch Share Private White House Meal Despite Legal Battle
President Donald Trump reportedly hosted a private dinner with billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch at the White House on Tuesday, according to sources familiar with the event. This intimate gathering occurred despite an ongoing $10 billion lawsuit that Trump has filed against The Wall Street Journal, a publication owned by Murdoch's News Corp. The legal confrontation has been unfolding for over six months, creating a complex backdrop for their meeting.
Legal Tensions and Personal Diplomacy
The lawsuit originated in July 2025 after The Wall Street Journal published an article alleging Trump's connections to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The report claimed Trump signed a "bawdy" birthday letter to Epstein in 2003, which the president has vehemently denied. Trump has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing in relation to these allegations. Despite the substantial legal claim and The Wall Street Journal's defense that the article is truthful and protected by the First Amendment, Murdoch has maintained a cordial relationship with the commander-in-chief.
This dinner marks another chapter in their paradoxical association. In September 2025, merely two months after the lawsuit was initiated, both men attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom, an event held in Trump's honor. Furthermore, in October 2025, Murdoch and several of his key executives dined with the president at the White House, demonstrating a pattern of continued engagement amidst legal strife.
Media Criticism and Political Dynamics
Despite these social pleasantries, The Wall Street Journal has persisted in its criticism of Trump and certain administration policies. In a December editorial, the publication denounced Trump's ongoing assertions that the 2020 election was stolen as "nonsense," urging Republicans to cease indulging such claims. This editorial stance highlights the tension between Murdoch's personal interactions with Trump and the editorial independence of his media outlets.
Trump's legal efforts continue to focus on election offices in Georgia, where newly unsealed documents reveal the FBI raided a Fulton County office, seizing ballots from the 2020 presidential election. This action is part of a federal investigation into alleged deficiencies in Trump's loss in the state, underscoring the persistent electoral controversies surrounding his presidency.
Shifts in Media Coverage and Public Opinion
Other News Corp outlets have also shown signs of questioning administration policies, particularly regarding immigration enforcement. Following the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers in Minneapolis, prominent Fox News figures, including Brian Kilmeade and Sean Hannity, publicly appealed to Trump to soften operations. Kilmeade, co-host of Trump's favored morning show Fox & Friends, repeatedly urged the president to deploy border czar Tom Homan to "settle things down," a move Trump announced later via Truth Social.
Hannity, a close confidant of Trump and vocal supporter of mass deportation efforts, also suggested on air that Immigration and Customs Enforcement should halt arrests at locations like Home Depot, labeling such tactics as not a "good idea." These shifts in commentary coincide with a notable decline in Trump's popularity ratings, driven by public concerns over immigration enforcement and economic management ahead of the midterm elections.
The Independent has reached out to the White House and Murdoch's representatives at News Corp for confirmation and comments on these reports, but responses are pending. Murdoch, aged 94, oversees News Corp, which operates numerous local, national, and international publishing outlets, including The Wall Street Journal and Fox News in the United States.
