Court dismisses Trump's lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal

Federal Judge Darrin Gayles of the Florida District Court has dismissed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Donald Trump against The Wall Street Journal and its publisher, media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

The lawsuit stemmed from an article about a postcard allegedly sent by Trump to financier Jeffrey Epstein. The judge ruled that Trump failed to substantiate the defamatory nature of the publication.

According to the court, to prove defamation, Trump needed to demonstrate 'actual malice'—that is, that the journalists knowingly published false information or acted with 'reckless disregard for the truth.' However, this was not proven.

The judge allowed Trump to file an amended complaint and set a deadline of April 27 for doing so. A representative of Trump's legal team stated that the president 'will refile this powerful lawsuit.' Trump himself also wrote that the 'strong case' against The Wall Street Journal and other defendants should be refiled and promised to do so before April 27.

Trump filed the lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal in the summer of 2025, after the newspaper published an article claiming that in 2003, Trump congratulated Jeffrey Epstein on his birthday with a postcard featuring an 'indecent' drawing of a naked woman and his signature. Trump denied any involvement with the letter or the drawing. He called the article 'fake,' labeled WSJ a 'useless' and 'disgraced' newspaper, and described the upcoming trial as 'historic.'

Financier Jeffrey Epstein was accused of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. According to the investigation, the businessman received sexual services from underage girls and 'loaned' them to influential individuals. He took his own life in a New York prison cell.

Source: Meduza