President Donald Trump is filing a libel lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal’s publisher and the reporters behind a story alleging he gifted Jeffrey Epstein a collection of letters for his 50th birthday in 2003—including a note signed with Trump’s name and an outline of a naked woman.
According to the federal court docket filed in South Florida, President Trump is suing for libel, slander, and assault. While the docket lists the claims, a copy of the full lawsuit was not included. Trump has denied authoring the note in question.
He threatened legal action almost immediately after the Wall Street Journal published the story late Thursday, written by reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Joe Palazzolo—both of whom are named as defendants in the filing, CNN reported.
“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,” the president said in a Truth Social post.
The president added in that post that Murdoch, the owner of News Corp, the Journal’s parent company, “stated that he would take care of it.” He added: “But, obviously, did not have the power to do so.”
During his 2024 campaign, Trump pledged to consider releasing more files related to Jeffrey Epstein, aligning himself with prominent right-wing figures who have long demanded greater transparency and questioned the official ruling that Epstein died by suicide.
Earlier this month, a memo released by Trump’s Justice Department stated that there is no evidence Epstein kept a “client list” implicating powerful political and business figures in alleged sex crimes, despite widespread speculation.