Trump Fires Back After Murdoch’s Epstein Hit Piece

Donald Trump just made good on one threat that has the media establishment in complete panic mode.

The President’s ongoing war with the fake news media took a dramatic new turn.

And Trump fired back after Rupert Murdoch’s Epstein hit piece with this devastating move.

Trump unleashes "powerhouse" legal action against Murdoch empire

President Trump followed through on his promise to take Rupert Murdoch to court after the Wall Street Journal published what the President called a "fake" and "malicious" story about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

The $10 billion defamation lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in the Southern District of Florida, names Murdoch personally, along with News Corp., Dow Jones & Company, and the two Journal reporters who wrote the controversial article.¹

"We have just filed a POWERHOUSE Lawsuit against everyone involved in publishing the false, malicious, defamatory, FAKE NEWS ‘article’ in the useless ‘rag’ that is, The Wall Street Journal," Trump posted on Truth Social.²

The lawsuit stems from the Journal’s Thursday report claiming Trump sent a "bawdy" birthday letter to Epstein in 2003 that allegedly included a hand-drawn naked woman and was signed "Donald."

But here’s where the story gets really interesting.

According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the Wall Street Journal admitted to the White House that it did not actually possess the letter when asked to verify it before publication.³

Trump directly warned Murdoch before publication

The President’s legal team revealed that Trump personally warned both Murdoch and Journal editor Emma Tucker that the alleged letter was fake before they published the story.

"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 statement read.⁴

Trump said Murdoch initially promised to "take care of it" but apparently lacked the authority to stop the story from running.

The lawsuit alleges that the Journal "failed to attach the letter, failed to attach the alleged drawing, failed to show proof that President Trump authored or signed any such letter, and failed to explain how this purported letter was obtained."⁵

That’s because, according to Trump’s legal team, "no authentic letter or drawing exists."

MAGA influencers rally behind Trump after Journal hit piece backfires

The Wall Street Journal’s attack on Trump appears to have backfired spectacularly.

Key MAGA influencers who had previously criticized the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files quickly rallied behind the President after the Journal story broke.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, journalist Megyn Kelly, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, and journalist Jack Posobiec were among the prominent voices on the right who took to social media to question the credibility of the Journal’s reporting.⁶

Even supporters who had been vocal about wanting more transparency on the Epstein files recognized this story for what it was – a desperate hit piece designed to damage Trump politically.

The President’s response was swift and strategic.

After announcing the lawsuit, Trump instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of grand jury testimony related to Epstein, subject to court approval.

Trump’s winning streak against fake news media continues

This lawsuit represents the latest chapter in Trump’s successful campaign to hold dishonest media outlets accountable through the court system.

The President has already secured major victories against ABC News and CBS News, both of which reached multimillion-dollar settlement deals after Trump took them to court for defamatory coverage.

ABC agreed to pay $15 million to settle Trump’s lawsuit over George Stephanopoulos’s false statements during an interview, while CBS’s parent company Paramount agreed to a $16 million settlement over a deceptively edited "60 Minutes" interview with Kamala Harris.⁷

"President Trump has already beaten George Stephanopoulos/ABC, 60 Minutes/CBS, and others, and looks forward to suing and holding accountable the once great Wall Street Journal," his team noted.⁸

The deeper significance of Trump vs. Murdoch

This legal battle represents more than just another media lawsuit – it’s a high-stakes confrontation between two of the most powerful figures in conservative politics.

The relationship between Trump and Murdoch has been complicated for years, with the 93-year-old media mogul alternately supporting and opposing the President depending on political circumstances.

Murdoch’s Fox News played a crucial role in Trump’s rise to political prominence, but the relationship soured after the 2020 election when Fox initially affirmed Biden’s victory.

Internal documents from the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit revealed that Murdoch had written he wanted to "make Trump a non-person" following January 6.⁹

But Trump’s relentless legal pressure on dishonest media outlets is sending a clear message to the entire establishment press corps.

The days of publishing false, defamatory stories about President Trump without facing serious consequences are over.

"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!!!" Trump posted.¹⁰

The discovery process alone promises to expose exactly how the Wall Street Journal operates when targeting political opponents with unsubstantiated hit pieces.

Trump’s aggressive legal strategy is forcing the media to think twice before running with anonymous sources and unverified claims.

And based on his track record in court, the smart money says this "powerhouse" lawsuit will be another victory for the President and another expensive lesson for the fake news media.

¹ Chloe Atkins, "Trump sues Wall Street Journal’s publisher, reporters over Epstein article," NBC News, July 18, 2025.

² Nick Gilbertson, "Trump: I Look Forward to Watching Rupert Murdoch Testify," Breitbart News, July 18, 2025.

³ Ibid.

⁴ Ibid.

⁵ Atkins, "Trump sues Wall Street Journal’s publisher, reporters over Epstein article," NBC News, July 18, 2025.

⁶ Jerome Hudson, "Key Influencers Rally Behind Trump After Wall Street Journal’s Epstein Hit Backfires," Breitbart News, July 17, 2025.

⁷ Atkins, "Trump sues Wall Street Journal’s publisher, reporters over Epstein article," NBC News, July 18, 2025.

⁸ Gilbertson, "Trump: I Look Forward to Watching Rupert Murdoch Testify," Breitbart News, July 18, 2025.

⁹ Brian Stelter, "Trump vows to sue Rupert Murdoch as Epstein report opens new rift in their relationship," CNN Business, July 17, 2025.

¹⁰ Gilbertson, "Trump: I Look Forward to Watching Rupert Murdoch Testify," Breitbart News, July 18, 2025.