Trump Suffers Major Blow as US Court Dismisses Defamation Lawsuit Against Wall Street Journal Over Epstein Letter

November 1, 2026

US President Donald Trump has suffered a major setback in his defamation suit against the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Miami US District Judge Darrin Gayles permanently dismissed Trump’s suit. The court ruled that the president failed to prove that the defendants published defamatory statements against him intentionally or without regard for the truth. Under the law, a public figure must prove “actual malice” to prove defamation.

The judge stated that the suit attempted to expose flaws in the Wall Street Journal’s investigative reporting. The court dismissed the suit “with prejudice.” This means the case cannot be refiled in the same form and the dismissal is considered permanent.

This decision is considered a major setback for Trump and his administration. During his second term, Trump has clashed with several media organizations. In addition to the Wall Street Journal, he is also embroiled in controversies involving the BBC, the Associated Press (AP), and other media organizations. Recently, CNN, MS Now, and Politico filed a lawsuit against Trump to restore their access to the White House. These media organizations were banned from the White House in mid-September.

Trump has frequently criticized media outlets whose reporting he dislikes. He has repeatedly targeted journalists and news organizations as “fake news.”

There was no immediate public response from the White House following Saturday’s court ruling. The administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press.

Trump Called the Report Malicious

Trump’s lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal stems from a report published last year that mentioned a letter and photo containing alleged sexual innuendo. According to the newspaper, the letter was linked to Trump and was included in an album prepared for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003.

It was reported that this birthday album was prepared by British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell. At that time, Epstein was still several years away from his first arrest in 2006. The relationship between Trump and Epstein subsequently deteriorated.

According to the newspaper report, the letter addressed to Trump contained a hand-drawn drawing of a nude female figure. The letter concluded with the words, “Happy Birthday and may every day bring another glorious secret.”

However, Trump denied writing the letter and called the report “false, malicious, and defamatory.” He filed a lawsuit in federal court in Miami, accusing the newspaper and its journalists of deliberately publishing false and defamatory information.

Trump claimed that the report caused significant damage to his reputation and financial situation.

It is noteworthy that Jeffrey Epstein died in a New York jail in August 2019, while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.

The case was dismissed earlier as well

Judge Darrin Gayles previously dismissed Trump’s lawsuit in April. At that time, the court ruled that Trump had failed to present sufficient evidence to prove that the newspaper published the report with malicious intent. However, the judge granted him another opportunity to file an amended complaint, which Trump filed in May.

In Saturday’s ruling, the judge cited the landmark 1964 U.S. Supreme Court decision, New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, which made it more difficult for public figures to win defamation lawsuits. According to the ruling, they must prove that a media organization knowingly published false information or acted recklessly with respect to the truth.

Judge Gayles wrote in his order that Trump’s amended complaint did not meet the legal standard for proving “actual malice.” He stated that the allegations of malice were vague, general, and in many cases inconsistent with the actual content of the report.

The court also stated that the Wall Street Journal did not ignore Trump’s side of the story in its report. The newspaper clearly informed readers that Trump had called the letter a fake and denied writing it.

The judge also found several other allegations in the lawsuit to be baseless.