USA: president vs. media

Trump sues Murdoch for $10 billion and Wsj defends itself: 'Accurate work, we will defend ourselves'

According to the Wsj, in 2003 the President allegedly sent a letter, part of a multi-person greeting book, with 'obscene' contents. White House denial

18 July 2025Aggiornato il 19 luglio 2025 ore 14:40

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Dettaglio di un poster appeso da attivisti anti-Trump davanti a una fermata dell’autobus vicino alla stazione di Nine Elms, nella linea Northern della Londra, situata vicino all’ambasciata degli Stati Uniti a Londra, giovedì 17 luglio 2025.. Il poster mostra una foto raffigurante Jeffrey Epstein e il presidente Donald Trump insieme tanti anni fa (Ap Photo/Thomas Krych)

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Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against Dow Jones, publisher of the Wall Street Journal, and its owner Rupert Murdoch after the newspaper wrote that the US president allegedly sent a 'risque' note to Jeffrey Epstein. According to the WSJ, in 2003 Trump allegedly sent Epstein a letter on his 50th birthday with a drawing of a naked woman and an allusive message, which read 'happy birthday and may every day be another wonderful secret'.

The US president branded the article published 'in the cesspool that is the Wall Street Journal' as 'false and malicious' and claims he was defamed, which is why he filed the lawsuit. The news came as the US Justice Department asked a federal judge to make Epstein-related material public, following strong criticism of the Trump administration's handling of the case. Dow Jones' response was immediate, defending its actions: 'We have full confidence in the soundness and accuracy of our journalistic work and will vigorously defend ourselves against any lawsuit,' said a spokesperson.

The Trump greeting card sent to Epstein. In the dedication the word 'secret'

It was the 50th birthday of Jeffrey Epsteinand his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwellwas preparing a special gift for the occasion. She reached out to Epstein's family and friends: one of them was Donald Trump.

So begins the Wall Street Journal's reconstruction of the story of Trump's allegedly compromising letter to the financier accused of paedophilia and who died by suicide in prison years ago. Maxwell collected letters from Trump and dozens of other Epstein associates for a 2003 birthday album.

A special gift

The pages of the leather-bound album, assembled before Epstein's first arrest in 2006, are among the documents reviewed by Justice Department officials who investigated Epstein and Maxwell years ago, according to people who examined the pages. It is unclear whether any of the pages are part of the Trump administration's recent review.

The president's past relationship with Epstein is going through a delicate moment. The Justice Department documents, the so-called Epstein files, and who or what they contain are at the centre of a storm that is sweeping the Trump administration. On Wednesday, after angry comments that the documents are a hoax created by Democrats, President Trump lashed out at his own supporters for refusing to let the matter drop.

Obscene content?

The 'letter' in Trump's name, examined by the Journal, has a licentious content, like others in the album. It contains several lines of typewritten text framed by the silhouette of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a thick felt-tip pen. Two small arches indicate the woman's breasts and the future president's signature is a wavy 'Donald' below the waist, imitating pubic hair. The letter concludes: 'Happy birthday and may every day be another wonderful secret'.

Trump's denial

In an interview with the Journal on Tuesday night, Trump denied writing the letter or drawing the picture. "It's not me. It's a fake thing. It's a fake Wall Street Journal article," he said. "I've never drawn a picture in my life. I don't draw women," he said. "It's not my language. It's not my words." The president also told the Wall Street Journal that he was preparing to file a lawsuit if he published an article. "I'm going to sue the Wall Street Journal just like I've sued everybody else," he said.

Musk's speech

"The letter appears to be false": the content "does not appear to be something Trump would say". This is stated by Elon Musk, Donald Trump's former adviser, in a post on X responding to former Fox anchor Megyn Kelly about the Wall Street Journal article about the president's letter to Jeffrey Epstein.

The Epstein case

Allegations that Epstein sexually abused girls became public in 2006 and he was arrested that same year. Epstein died in prison in 2019, after being arrested a second time and charged with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. Officials at the Department of Justice did not respond to requests for comment or answer questions about whether Trump and other birthday album pages were included in the agency's recent review of the documents. The FBI declined to comment.

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