President Donald Trump wants media mogul Rupert Murdoch, 94, deposed within the next 15 days as part of his defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over its reporting on an alleged “bawdy” birthday greeting bearing Trump’s name in a compilation of letters for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday.
The president is seeking at least $20 billion (£15.5 billion) in damages from the Journal’s publisher Dow Jones, its parent company News Corporation, Murdoch personally, and the reporters who wrote the story about the alleged 2003 letter, which Trump vehemently denies writing.
Questions over Trump’s past relationship with the late sex offender Epstein have followed him across the Atlantic during his golfing trip to Scotland, where he met with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Monday at his Turnberry resort.
Epstein Questions Persist During UK Visit
Speaking at a press conference with Starmer, Trump said he had once turned down an invitation to Epstein’s private Caribbean island, Little St James, which was a key part of the sex trafficking charges against the disgraced financier and his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.
I never drew a woman in a reported birthday greeting, never visited Epstein’s island,” Trump told reporters, adding that he cut ties with Epstein after an “inappropriate” incident. His extensive responses during the bilateral meeting underscored how the president hasn’t been able to shake questions about Epstein, even during an international diplomatic trip.
The president called the Epstein files a “hoax” that has been “built up way beyond proportion,” claiming they were “run by the worst scum on Earth,” including former FBI director James Comey and former Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The Controversial Letter
The Wall Street Journal reported in July that a leather-bound album containing birthday letters for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003 included a note bearing Trump’s name. According to the newspaper, which said it reviewed the letter, it featured “several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker.”
The drawing allegedly depicted a woman’s breasts with “Donald” written in place of pubic hair, ending with the line: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.
Trump categorically denied creating the letter or drawing during an interview with the Journal before publication. “This is not me. This is a fake thing. It’s a fake Wall Street Journal story,” he said. “I never wrote a picture in my life. I don’t draw pictures of women.”
Legal Battle Escalates
The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of Florida, includes two counts of defamation each seeking at least $10 billion (£7.75 billion) in damages. Trump’s legal team described the Journal’s claims as “false, defamatory, unsubstantiated, and disparaging,” accusing the paper of “clear journalistic failures.
“The Wall Street Journal, and Rupert Murdoch, personally, were warned directly by President Donald J. Trump that the supposed letter they printed by President Trump to Epstein was a FAKE and, if they print it, they will be sued,” Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media platform.
First Amendment attorney Ted Boutrous told CNN: “As far as I can tell, no sitting president has ever sued a reporter or media outlet or media executive for allegedly defaming him. When you have the presidential bully pulpit, you simply don’t need to sue to get to the truth.”
Murdoch Relationship Sours
Trump’s demand for Murdoch’s expedited deposition represents a dramatic escalation in their complex relationship, which has spanned decades and oscillated between alliance and animosity. The president posted on Truth Social: “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!!!”
Dow Jones has stated it will “vigorously defend” against the lawsuit, expressing “full confidence in the rigor and accuracy” of its reporting. Legal experts note that defamation lawsuits face a high bar in US courts, particularly for public figures who must demonstrate not only that false claims were made but also that the defendant acted with “actual malice.
Political Fallout Continues
The lawsuit comes amid ongoing political turmoil over the handling of the so-called Epstein files, with Trump facing pressure from his supporters to release more information. Earlier this month, the Justice Department memo claimed there was no evidence that Epstein maintained a “client list” that named or implicated powerful men in alleged sex crimes, disappointing some of Trump’s most loyal followers.
Many influential MAGA voices, including Laura Loomer and Charlie Kirk, came to Trump’s defence over the Journal story, with Loomer calling the letter “totally fake” and noting that “everyone who actually KNOWS President Trump knows he doesn’t type letters. He writes notes in big black Sharpie.”
Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence in Florida after being found guilty of sex trafficking charges in 2021, has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court. She argues that her conviction was invalid because a non-prosecution and plea agreement that federal prosecutors made with Epstein in 2007 also shielded his associates.
Scotland Meeting Overshadowed
The controversy overshadowed Trump’s diplomatic engagements in Scotland, where he met with Starmer to discuss trade, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and the war in Ukraine. The president used the occasion to announce he was shortening his deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine from 50 days to “10 or 12 days.
“There’s no reason in waiting,” Trump told reporters. “I want to be generous but we just don’t see any progress being made.”
The meeting at Trump’s Turnberry golf resort exemplified how the president continues to mix his family business interests with official diplomatic functions, hosting foreign leaders at his private properties rather than traditional diplomatic venues.
Legal Precedent and Press Freedom
Trump’s lawsuit against the Journal follows his recent legal victories against other media organisations. In March 2024, ABC’s parent company Disney settled with Trump for $16 million (£12.4 million) toward his future presidential library after anchor George Stephanopoulos repeatedly said on air that a jury found Trump had “raped” E. Jean Carroll, when the jury had found sexual abuse but not rape.
Press freedom advocates have expressed concern about the chilling effect such lawsuits could have on journalism. Bob Corn-Revere, chief counsel at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said: “These kinds of threats are not normal in a free society.”
As the legal battle unfolds, the demand for Murdoch’s deposition within 15 days suggests Trump is eager to pursue the case aggressively, even as he manages international diplomacy and domestic political challenges. Whether the 94-year-old media mogul will be compelled to testify remains to be seen, but the lawsuit ensures that questions about Trump’s past relationship with Epstein will continue to generate headlines.
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Image Credit:
Donald Trump campaign image – Photo from wikipedia.org, originally published by haberler.com, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
