A federal judge has dismissed Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, telling the president that his legal arguments amounted to “grasping at straws” over an alleged birthday message to Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump brought the case against the newspaper and media executive Rupert Murdoch after the Journal published a letter said to have been signed by him. The document reportedly included a sexually suggestive drawing and the line: “May every day be another wonderful secret.”
US District Judge Darrin Gayles, sitting in Miami, threw out the complaint with prejudice. He found that Trump had failed to show the defendants acted with actual malice, the legal standard required for a public figure to prevail in a defamation case.
In his decision, Judge Gayles said the lawsuit appeared to be an attempt to “manufacture” shortcomings in the Wall Street Journal’s reporting rather than establish a viable legal claim.
A dismissal with prejudice is permanent, meaning the same lawsuit cannot be filed again or revived in the lower court.
Dow Jones, the parent company of the Wall Street Journal, welcomed the ruling. A spokesperson told The Daily Mail: “We’re pleased with the court’s decision.”
Trump’s legal team, however, said the president plans to challenge the decision on appeal when contacted by The Daily Mail.
“President Trump will continue to press forward in his powerhouse lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and all of the other defendants,” a spokesperson said. “The President will continue to hold those who mislead the American People with Fake News and smears accountable for their actions.”
A federal judge dismissed Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over its reporting on an alleged birthday message to Jeffrey Epstein, saying the president was “grasping at straws.”
The newspaper published a letter allegedly written by Trump to Epstein for the disgraced financier’s 50th birthday in 2003. Trump has denied signing or sending the note.
The ruling represents a setback for Trump and his administration, both of which have maintained increasingly combative relationships with major news organizations during his second term.
Beyond the Wall Street Journal case, Trump is also involved in legal disputes with the BBC and The Associated Press. CNN, MS NOW and Politico are separately suing him for restored access after being barred from the White House in mid-September.
Trump has repeatedly attacked news outlets over coverage he dislikes, often labeling reports “fake news” and directing insults at the journalists who produce them.
The Wall Street Journal lawsuit centered on an article about a sexually suggestive letter and illustration that the newspaper said carried Trump’s name. The material was reportedly included in a 2003 album assembled for Epstein’s 50th birthday.
According to the report, the album was compiled by British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell years before Epstein’s first arrest in 2006 and before his relationship with Trump later deteriorated.
The message reportedly included the words: “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey,” followed by the observation, “A pal is a wonderful thing.”
The newspaper said the note was written inside an outline resembling a woman’s body and concluded: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
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Trump has denied authoring the message, describing the Journal’s report as “false, malicious, and defamatory.”
The decision is a significant legal blow to Donald Trump and his administration after years of confrontations with news organizations during his second term.
When the letter was initially published, the Trump administration rejected its authenticity and forcefully disputed the newspaper’s account.
‘The latest piece published by the Wall Street Journal proves this entire ‘Birthday Card’ story is false,’ White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on X. ‘As I have said all along, it’s very clear President Trump did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.’
‘President Trump’s legal team will continue to aggressively pursue litigation,’ her statement continued, lambasting the reporter for publishing ‘fake news’ about the ‘Democrat Epstein Hoax!’
The famed birthday book is reportedly a compilation of messages collected by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell for his 50th birthday.
She collected and scanned the materials and bound them into an album she gave to Epstein for his birthday in 2003. Many big names wrote messages to Epstein for his birthday, according to multiple reporters who have allegedly viewed the binder.
Reports also indicate that the book contained a handwritten note from former President Bill Clinton, who had a social and professional relationship with Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, accused the paper and its reporters of having ‘knowingly and recklessly’ published ‘numerous false, defamatory, and disparaging statements,’ which, it alleged, caused ‘overwhelming financial and reputational harm’ to the president.
Judge Gayles previously dismissed the suit in April, saying Trump had failed to make the argument that the article was published with the intent to be malicious. But he gave the president a chance to file an amended complaint, which he did in May.
Former Executive Chairman of Fox Corp Rupert Murdoch was also sued by Trump
In Saturday’s ruling, the judge cited the Supreme Court’s landmark 1964 ruling in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan.
That decision made it harder for public figures to win libel lawsuits because it requires proof that a media outlet knowingly published something false or showed a reckless disregard for the truth, an ‘actual malice’ standard.
‘The Amended Complaint falls short of pleading actual malice,’ Gayles wrote.
‘Indeed, the allegations regarding malice are conclusory, vague, sometimes inconsistent with the Article, and often irrelevant to whether Defendants knew or should have known that the statements in the Article were purportedly false.’
The judge also noted that the Journal’s story did not ignore or minimize Trump’s denial, ‘Rather, it informed readers that President Trump decried the Letter as a fake and denied writing it.’
Gayles also said several other allegations in the lawsuit did not have merit.