MIAMI — President Donald Trump’s second attempt to sue The Wall Street Journal over its Epstein birthday letter story fell flat Saturday. A federal judge dismissed it with prejudice.
The amended complaint didn’t plausibly allege actual malice, U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles found in a 20-page court order, and that’s something a public figure has to show to win a defamation case.
“As with his first attempt, he has failed.”
The case centers on a story published by the Journal online on July 17, 2025. It reported that Ghislaine Maxwell gathered letters from Trump and dozens of other associates for a 2003 album marking Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday.
Trump told the Jourmal the letter bearing his name was “a fake thing.” The story printed his denial, and he sued the next day.
In effect, Trump’s complaint argued that the Journal should have dropped the story once he called the letter fake. Gayles wasn’t persuaded. Under that reasoning, he wrote, a public figure’s denial would block reporters from publishing anything negative. He said that result would run against the First Amendment.
The judge also found that the article itself showed a careful investigation. Before publishing, the reporters asked Trump’s team, the Justice Department and the FBI for comment. They reached out to Maxwell and to others named in the album.
“Grasping at straws, the Amended Complaint attempts to manufacture flaws with the investigation,” Gayles wrote. Trump’s references to Maxwell, he added, were “a red herring.”
Whether Trump wrote the letter remains unresolved. Gayles said that’s a question of fact, and a court can’t answer it on a motion to dismiss.
Legal fees are still pending. The defendants are Dow Jones, News Corp., Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. CEO Robert Thomson, and reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo. They asked the court to make Trump cover their costs.
Gayles agreed the claims lack merit but didn’t rule on fees. The defendants have 30 days to file a motion, which must address which state’s law should govern the fee request.
This news article is updated with links to earlier Virginia Times coverage of the lawsuit.
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