President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the Wall Street Journal is seeking to settle a lawsuit he filed against the outlet over a report alleging he sent a sexually suggestive birthday message to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.
The lawsuit, filed earlier this week, accuses the publication of defamation and seeks millions of dollars in damages.
The report in question, published by the Wall Street Journal, alleged that Trump sent Epstein a letter that included a drawing of a naked woman, with the name “Donald” allegedly signed on the image’s waistline to resemble pubic hair.
The drawing itself was not included in the Journal’s publication, but the outlet did include what it claimed was a transcript of a poem accompanying the drawing.
The poem was attributed to Trump, though the article did not provide the original source for the material.
Shortly after the article was published, President Trump issued a strong denial of the report and stated he would be taking legal action against the Wall Street Journal, its parent company News Corp, and its executive chairman Rupert Murdoch.
“It’s in the lawyer’s hands. I’ve been treated very unfairly by The Wall Street Journal,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday when asked about developments in the lawsuit.
“They are talking to us about doing something, but we’ll see what happens. Maybe, they would like us to drop that,” Trump added.
“They want to settle it.”
According to the lawsuit filed by Trump’s legal team, the publication of the alleged letter has caused “overwhelming financial and reputational harm” to the president.
Trump is demanding a substantial financial settlement for what he describes as a knowingly false and defamatory report.
In a Truth Social post published shortly after the Wall Street Journal article was released, President Trump wrote, “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 continued, “Mr. Murdoch stated that he would take care of it but, obviously, did not have the power to do so.
The Editor of the Wall Street Journal, Emma Tucker, was told directly by Karoline Leavitt, and by President Trump, that the letter was a FAKE, but Emma Tucker didn’t want to hear that. Instead, they are going with a false, malicious, and defamatory story anyway.”
Trump confirmed that lawsuits would be filed against the Wall Street Journal, News Corp, and Rupert Murdoch.
The president also referenced previous legal actions taken against mainstream media outlets, including lawsuits against CBS News for what he described as deceptive editing of an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, and against ABC News after anchor George Stephanopoulos allegedly referred to Trump as a “rapist.”
Trump has characterized these lawsuits as part of a broader effort to hold media organizations accountable for publishing false or misleading information.
In his Truth Social post, Trump added, “It has truly turned out to be a ‘Disgusting and Filthy Rag;’ and, writing defamatory lies like this, shows their desperation to remain relevant.”
Trump concluded by reiterating his position that the Epstein claim was fabricated, stating, “If there were any truth at all on the Epstein Hoax, as it pertains to President Trump, this information would have been revealed by Comey, Brennan, Crooked Hillary, and other Radical Left Lunatics years ago. It certainly would not have sat in a file waiting for ‘TRUMP’ to have won three Elections. This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS!”
