A federal judge on Monday dismissed former President Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, marking a significant legal setback for Trump in his ongoing efforts to challenge media coverage he deems unfair. The suit was among several Trump has filed during his presidency targeting major media outlets for what he claims are false or biased reports.
Trump’s lawsuit alleged that the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper damaged his reputation with an article featuring a birthday card addressed to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which bore Trump’s signature. Trump and his legal team insisted the card was fabricated, despite its release by lawmakers investigating Epstein’s case. The lawsuit was filed in July 2025 amid criticism from both Trump’s conservative supporters and congressional Democrats regarding his administration’s handling of the Epstein investigation. Epstein, a financier, died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges.
Miami-based U.S. District Court Judge Darrin P. Gayles, appointed by former President Barack Obama, ruled that Trump failed to meet the “actual malice” standard required for public figures in defamation cases. This standard demands proof not only that a statement was false but also that the publisher knew or should have known it was false. Judge Gayles stated, “This complaint comes nowhere close to this standard. Quite the opposite.” However, the judge allowed Trump the option to file an amended complaint by April 27, a move Trump confirmed he would pursue via his Truth Social platform.
Dow Jones, the parent company of the Wall Street Journal, expressed satisfaction with the ruling, affirming their confidence in the accuracy and rigor of the newspaper’s reporting. Judge Gayles noted that the Journal’s reporters had contacted Trump for comment prior to publication and included his denial, enabling readers to form their own judgments and weakening Trump’s claim of actual malice. The ruling did not determine the truthfulness of the article itself.
The Epstein case has been surrounded by conspiracy theories alleging government cover-ups of Epstein’s connections to influential figures and obscured details about his death, officially ruled a suicide. Trump amplified these theories during his 2024 presidential campaign and pledged to release government investigative files if elected, a promise he later abandoned. Trump has labeled the scandal a Democratic fabrication. Although Trump and Epstein were once acquaintances, Trump maintains he cut ties before Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea on prostitution charges and denies any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities.
The disputed Wall Street Journal article referenced a 2003 birthday card for Epstein, which included a drawing of a naked woman and an imaginary dialogue between Trump and Epstein alluding to shared secrets. Trump’s lawsuit repeatedly asserted the card was counterfeit and criticized the Journal for not publishing it as evidence. However, a copy of the card was later released by congressional Democrats who obtained it from Epstein’s estate.
In its motion to dismiss, the Wall Street Journal argued that the lawsuit lacked merit and warned it could have a chilling effect on free speech, deterring publishers from reporting content the president finds unfavorable. Trump has also filed defamation suits against other media outlets, including the for allegedly misleadingly editing a speech, the New York Times over articles and a book about him, and an Iowa newspaper over a poll showing him trailing Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race. All these outlets have denied any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, ABC and CBS settled with Trump following lawsuits over inaccurate comments and edited interviews, respectively.
