Murdoch Tells Trump to Bring It on In Fight Over WSJ’s Epstein Story
The Wall Street Journal won’t back down from Trump’s libel lawsuit.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Dow Jones, The Wall Street Journal’s parent company, dared President Donald Trump to bring it on after the president launched a $10 billion libel lawsuit against the publication.
“We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting,” a spokesperson for Dow Jones said in a statement. “[We] will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”
Trump filed the suit on Friday, accusing the Murdoch-owned paper of “glaring failures in journalistic ethics and standards of accurate reporting,” after the publication of a story about a gift Trump supposedly gave Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday.
The story detailed letters given to the convicted sex trafficker for his 50th birthday, which reportedly included a signed note from Trump inside a drawing of a naked woman. The note contained the chilling phrase “may every day be another wonderful secret.”
“Those are not my words,” Trump posted on Truth Social in response to the story. “Also, I don’t draw pictures.”
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The WSJ has rebutted the latter claim, highlighting numerous images drawn by the president, four of which were auctioned off during his first term.

Trump and Murdoch embrace at a 2017 dinner commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea during WWII.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Rupert Murdoch, the Australian media mogul behind Fox News, News Corp, and hundreds of national and international outlets, took ownership of the WSJ in 2007 following the acquisition of Dow Jones & Company.
Trump claimed that Murdoch had been personally warned not to print the letter, but he “did not have the power to do so.” Therefore, the president plans to make good on his promise to “sue his a-- off.”
The relationship between the president and the disgraced financier, who died in prison in 2019, has created an almighty rift in the MAGA support base. The Trump administration’s failure to release criminal information on Epstein and his alleged “client list” has been the focus of intense, recent accusations of a coverup.

President Donald Trump has long had ties to Rupert Murdoch, and the pair are pictured here in 1993.
Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images
The latest round of conspiratorial outbursts follows a memo released by the Justice Department earlier this month, which claimed there was no further information to disclose about the Epstein case.
Trump has since been on the warpath, attempting to quell the rebellion and silence his critics, who believe that the Epstein files are a “hoax” constructed by the Democrats.
With yet another legal battle against a media organization on the horizon, it remains to be seen if Trump’s latest move will bring the silence he desperately wants over Epstein.
Unlock a year of full access to The Looker and The Daily Beast for $35.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Looker and The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in
Login dialog

