Judge Ends Trump WSJ Lawsuit

Presidents often face legal challenges from media outlets, but a federal judge on Saturday dismissed a high-profile defamation case involving President Donald Trump and the Wall Street Journal. The ruling concludes a dispute that centered on a 2025 article about a letter allegedly written by Trump to Jeffrey Epstein.

U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles issued the decision on October 31, ruling that Trump did not plausibly allege the Journal acted with actual malice. This legal standard requires public figures to prove that a publisher knew a statement was false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. The case was dismissed with prejudice, a procedural outcome that prevents the plaintiff from refiled the same claim in the future.

The original lawsuit sought $10 billion in damages. The Journal's 2025 reporting detailed a letter found in an album for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003. The letter included a drawing of a naked woman and ended with the phrase, Happy Birthday and may every day be another wonderful secret. Trump denied authorship, describing the story as false, malicious, and defamatory.

Representatives for the Journal argued the reporting was accurate and that they had not knowingly published false information. They pointed to the newspaper's efforts to obtain a response from Trump before publication, a step the court noted as evidence of appropriate reporting standards. The Boston Herald described the lawsuit as grasping at straws and attempting to manufacture flaws in the reporting.

A spokesperson for Trump's legal team said he would continue to hold media organizations accountable for Fake News and smears. The Washington Post reported that the Journal maintained the story did not meet the bar for defamation. The dismissal removes the financial threat of the $10 billion claim from the proceedings.