A federal judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by President Trump against The Wall Street Journal, as reported by The Hill. The legal action centered on a story published by the newspaper regarding a letter that was allegedly sent by Trump to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday.
The case was heard in the Southern District of Florida’s Miami division by U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles. Judge Gayles, who was appointed to the federal bench by former President Obama, ruled that the president failed to meet the necessary standard of actual malice.
In his written ruling, Judge Gayles was quite direct about the failure of the legal filing. He stated that the complaint comes nowhere close to this standard and noted that it is actually quite the opposite. The judge emphasized that his ruling does not address whether the president actually wrote the letter, nor does it determine if the president was a friend of Epstein. These remain questions of fact that simply cannot be determined at this specific stage of the litigation. Furthermore, the judge pointed out that even if the president had successfully alleged actual malice, his claims for special damages would still have failed.
The lawsuit was initially launched in July following the publication of the story by The Wall Street Journal
The report detailed a 2003 letter that supposedly included several lines of text framed by the outline of a naked woman. It allegedly concluded with the phrase, Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret. Trump has consistently denied writing this letter and has maintained that the document is fake. He claims that he informed the newspaper that the letter was a forgery before the article was published and that the outlet should have known the story was false.
The lawsuit was quite broad in its scope, naming several defendants in addition to the newspaper itself. The list of defendants included the two reporters who bylined the story, the publisher Dow Jones, the parent company News Corp, the CEO of News Corp, and the founder of News Corp, Rupert Murdoch.
The 18-page complaint alleged that the story caused overwhelming financial and reputational harm to the president and demanded billions of dollars in damages. The filing argued that the defendants concocted the story to malign the character and integrity of the president and to deceptively portray him in a false light.
A spokesperson for the legal team representing the president stated that Trump will follow the guidance provided by Judge Gayles to refile the lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and all of the other defendants. The spokesperson added that the president will continue to hold accountable those who traffic in what he described as Fake News to mislead the American people.
On the other side of the legal battle, a spokesperson for Dow Jones expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision to dismiss the complaint. The spokesperson stated that they stand behind the reliability, rigor, and accuracy of the reporting provided by The Wall Street Journal.
This legal challenge is part of a broader pattern regarding the president’s history of suing media outlets. The president has expressed frustration regarding the ongoing conversation about Epstein and his connections to the disgraced financier. He has denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein and has claimed that the two had a falling out years ago.
This situation also follows recent comments from First Lady Melania Trump. Last week, she provided a statement at the White House where she denied having ties to Epstein. During her address in the White House Grand Foyer, she claimed that she was being defamed and stated that the individuals lying about her are devoid of ethical standards, humility, and respect. She further noted that she does not object to their ignorance, but rather she rejects their mean-spirited attempts to defame her reputation.
Prior to this ruling, the president had pointed to his history of defamation suits against other prominent media companies. Earlier this month, CBS settled a lawsuit filed by the president for $16 million regarding a 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Harris. Additionally, ABC settled a defamation lawsuit that the president had filed over an anchor’s mischaracterization of a jury verdict that found the president liable for sexual abuse.
Published: Apr 13, 2026 05:00 pm