‘Full Confidence In Rigour & Accuracy’: WSJ Owner Dow Jones Hits Back At Trump’s $10B Lawsuit

Last Updated:July 19, 2025, 11:24 IST

Trump had alleged WSJ of publishing a defamatory and false story regarding his past interactions with Epstein in a 18 page complaint filed in a federal court in Miami

Trump sues Wall Street Journal (Reuters File Image)

Wall Street Journal owner Dow Jones has responded to US President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit, saying it stands firmly by its reporting and will fight the case in court. The lawsuit was filed late Friday in a federal court in Miami over an article that linked Trump to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“We have full confidence in the rigour and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit," a Dow Jones spokesperson said, according to AFP, hours after the suit was filed.

Who’s Been Sued?

The lawsuit names Dow Jones; News Corp and its Chief Executive Robert Thomson; WSJ reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Joe Palazzolo; media mogul Rupert Murdoch; and several editorial staffers as defendants.

Dow Jones, the parent of the newspaper, is a division of News Corp.

Filed in an 18-page complaint, Trump’s legal team has alleged that the WSJ article falsely accused the former real estate tycoon of having sent Epstein a suggestive birthday letter back in 2003 — one that reportedly included a nude illustration and reference to a shared “secret."

Trump: Article Is ‘False, Malicious, Defamatory’

Calling the story completely fabricated, Trump’s lawyers claimed in the complaint: “The reason for those failures is because no authentic letter or drawing exists."

They accused the publication of “glaring failures in journalistic ethics and standards of accurate reporting," and said the story was “false, malicious, defamatory." The complaint further alleges that the Journal acted “knowingly and recklessly" and that the article caused “overwhelming financial and reputational harm."

Trump On Truth Social: ‘Powerhouse Lawsuit’

The US President also lashed out on his social media platform, Truth Social, shortly after the suit was filed. “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," he posted late Friday.

He added: “I hope Rupert and his ‘friends’ are looking forward to the many hours of depositions and testimonies they will have to provide in this case."

The article has since gone viral online, which Trump’s legal team argued amounts to severe reputational damage, claiming it was viewed by “hundreds of millions of people."

Where’s The Evidence? Trump Team Points to Missing Letter

Notably, the WSJ article did not publish any image or direct reproduction of the alleged 2003 letter. Trump’s team argues this omission is further proof that “no such letter exists," and is calling the report an attempt to damage him politically ahead of the election.

There has been no immediate comment from the individual reporters or from News Corp, the parent company of Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal.

Jeffrey Epstein Case

Epstein, the disgraced financier and sex offender, died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019. His case has generated conspiracy theories that became popular among Trump’s base of supporters who believed the government was covering up Epstein’s ties to the rich and powerful. Trump has said he parted ways with Epstein before the financier’s legal troubles became public in 2006.

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News world ‘Full Confidence In Rigour & Accuracy’: WSJ Owner Dow Jones Hits Back At Trump’s $10B Lawsuit