Judge rules on Trump’s defamation lawsuit against WSJ over Epstein letter
A federal judge has permanently dismissed US President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation case against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over a report about his alleged birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein.
In July 2025, the WSJ published an article describing a sexually suggestive note, which Trump allegedly presented to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003. The note reportedly appeared in a book of congratulatory letters compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her participation in Epstein's sex-trafficking scheme.
The disputed letter
The note said: "Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret," and contained typed text framed by a hand-drawn outline resembling a nude woman. A signature similar to Trump's appeared in the area where the figure's pelvic region might be.
This is not me. This is a fake thing. I never wrote a picture in my life. I don't draw pictures of women.
Legal proceedings
Trump's initial defamation case was rejected by Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami in April 2025, but he allowed the president's team to fix legal defects and file another complaint.
The judge dismissed the case "with prejudice," meaning it cannot be refiled. A spokesperson for Dow Jones & Co., the WSJ's publisher, said they were "pleased with the court's decision." Trump's legal team insisted the president "will continue to hold those who mislead the American People with Fake News and smears accountable." A source told CBS News the ruling will likely be appealed.
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