Trump Refiles $10 Billion Lawsuit Against Wall Street Journal Over Epstein Birthday Letter

President Donald Trump refiled a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the publisher of the Wall Street Journal on May 28, 2026, reviving his legal fight over the newspaper’s reporting on a lewd birthday letter bearing his name that was said to have been included in an album assembled for Jeffrey Epstein.¹

The amended complaint names Dow Jones, parent company News Corp, Chairman Rupert Murdoch, News Corp Chief Executive Robert Thomson, and the two Wall Street Journal reporters who wrote the story, Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo.²

The Letter at the Center of the Case

The Wall Street Journal reported in the summer of 2025 that a letter carrying Trump’s name had been included in a leather-bound album of messages collected for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003. According to the newspaper, the letter contained typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman that appeared to be drawn with a heavy marker.²

The document is no longer just a description. The House Oversight Committee released the page when it published Epstein’s “birthday book” in September 2025, and a version is reproduced below.

The page bearing a signature reading “Donald,” from the album compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003, as released by the House Oversight Committee in September 2025. The typewritten text is redacted in this version. Trump denies writing it and disputes the document’s authenticity. — U.S. House Oversight Committee, via Wikimedia Commons

Trump has consistently denied any involvement, and his lawsuit asserts that the letter is not authentic. His legal team has argued that the reporters “falsely pass off as fact that President Trump, in 2003, wrote, drew, and signed this letter” and that “no authentic letter or drawing exists.” The complaint accuses the paper of “glaring failures in journalistic ethics and standards of accurate reporting.”¹²

A Second Attempt After Dismissal

The refiling follows a setback. On April 13, 2026, U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles, who sits in the Southern District of Florida in Miami, dismissed Trump’s original $10 billion suit, ruling that he had failed to plausibly allege the newspaper acted with “actual malice” — the demanding legal standard a public figure must meet to win a defamation claim.¹⁴ The dismissal was without prejudice, and the judge gave Trump a window to file an amended complaint; the May 28 filing is that second attempt.⁴⁵

Dow Jones has stood by the reporting. “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit,” the company has said.¹ A spokesperson for Trump’s legal effort said the president “will continue to hold those who mislead the American People with Fake News and smears accountable.”²

What Is and Is Not Established

The authenticity of the 2003 letter is disputed and unresolved. The Wall Street Journal stands by its account; Trump denies writing or drawing the letter and says no genuine document exists. No court has ruled on whether the letter is authentic — the April dismissal turned on the “actual malice” pleading standard, not on the truth of the underlying report. The refiled suit now puts that dispute back before a federal judge, who will again weigh whether Trump’s amended complaint clears the high bar for a public-figure defamation case.

Documents

See the letter for yourself, in the primary-source record.

• Epstein’s “birthday book” — House Oversight Committee release (Sept. 8, 2025) — The 200-plus-page album compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003, turned over by his estate under subpoena. The page bearing Trump’s name appears in its “Friends” section. Trump denies writing it.
• Epstein Birthday Book — full scan (Internet Archive) — A complete copy of the released book, including the page at the center of this lawsuit.

References

1. CNN — “Trump refiles $10 billion lawsuit over Wall Street Journal report on Epstein birthday letter” (read via KEYT)

2. Deadline — “Donald Trump Files New Lawsuit Against The Wall Street Journal Over Story On Jeffrey Epstein Letter”

3. The Hill — “Trump refiles $10 billion lawsuit over Wall Street Journal report on Epstein birthday letter”

4. Reuters — “Trump refiles $10 billion defamation suit against WSJ over report on Epstein ties” (via U.S. News & World Report)

5. NPR — “Judge dismisses Trump’s $10B lawsuit over the Wall Street Journal’s Epstein reporting”