NEW YORK (PNN) - July 19, 2025 - President Donald J. Trump has filed a major lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, accusing the outlet of publishing a false and defamatory story that claimed a “bawdy” birthday letter bearing his name was gifted to Jeffrey Epstein.
The 18-page complaint was filed on Friday and seeks at least $20 billion in damages. Trump had warned a day earlier that the story was “a fake,” adding that he had personally alerted WSJ owner Rupert Murdoch.
President Trump’s legal team described the WSJ article as “false, defamatory, unsubstantiated and disparaging,” stating the outlet fabricated the story to damage President Trump’s character.
“Defendants concocted this story to malign President Trump’s character and integrity and deceptively portray him in a false light,” the lawsuit states.
The WSJ “reported” that the letter was part of a 2003 birthday album compiled by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
According to the outlet, Department of InJustice officials saw pages from the album years ago. It remains unclear whether those documents were included in the DoJ’s later conclusion that Epstein did not have a “client list” or was murdered in prison.
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence in Florida for sex trafficking minors.
This marks the first defamation lawsuit President Trump has filed against a media outlet while in office.