Trump to sue Murdoch over Epstein letter? Without Fox News, Trump is toast.
I'd love to see how that works out for him.
Trump's anger at Murdoch stems from a new Wall Street Journal report on a creepy birthday note Trump allegedly sent to Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in jail awaiting sprawling sex trafficking charges. The Journal reported the note featured a drawing of a naked woman with Trump's signature 'mimicking pubic hair' and included the line 'may every day be another wonderful secret.'
If Trump takes on Murdoch over the Epstein scandal, Trump will lose
Trump, of course, denied he wrote the letter, and apparently tried to get the newspaper and Murdoch himself to kill the story. The fact that they published the story tells me all I need to know about who to trust in this case, and it sure ain't the guy who lies constantly about crowd sizes and how great his polling numbers are.
On July 18, Trump posted on social media: 'I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper, the WSJ.'
Opinion: Epstein files are so bad for Trump he's calling MAGA base 'weaklings.' Uh-oh.
Delightful. I'm sure Mr. Murdoch – who has likely buried more scandalous Trump stories that he's published – is quaking in his loafers over that threat.
Murdoch knows Trump, and he's certainly not afraid of him
Earlier this year, shortly after Trump began his second term as president, he was singing an entirely different tune sitting alongside Murdoch in the Oval Office: 'Rupert Murdoch is in a class by himself, he's an amazing guy.'
And that, right there, is a prime example of why Trump's usual scheming won't work this time. Murdoch knows Trump is a shameless opportunist, and surely isn't threatened or surprised by the president turning on him. Murdoch also, undoubtedly, knows Trump exists as a viable political figure almost solely because of the slobbering support he gets from Fox News.
'Stupid Republicans': Trump mocks GOP allies for seeking Epstein files release | Opinion
If there were no Fox News, there would be no President Donald Trump. Fox News is the primary right-wing media megaphone that brainwashed the masses into accepting a morally bankrupt, transparent con artist as the leader of the free world, twice!
The Epstein scandal is clearly more than Trump can handle
So if Trump is willing to go to war with Murdoch and his media empire over the Epstein scandal, it tells us one thing: Whatever is in the Epstein files is so existentially bad for Trump he's willing to abandon the Greek chorus of Fox News blabberers who have long propped up his incessant lies and conspiracy theories.
Opinion: Please stop talking about Jeffrey Epstein. You're making Donald Trump mad.
As far as Murdoch choosing to toss gasoline on the Epstein fire with the Journal story, I'd like to believe it comes from a place of journalistic integrity, sunshine being the best disinfectant and such. But given everything Fox News and other Murdoch properties have done to melt the brains of Americans with right-wing propaganda, I don't trust that to be the primary motivation.
Maybe Murdoch is just done with Trump and his nonsense
Maybe Murdoch has just had it with a clearly addled Trump and his on-again/off-again tariff nonsense and erratic leadership.
Whatever the reason, Trump is engulfed in a scandal he's not equipped to extinguish. He can threaten Murdoch all he wants, but if Trump loses Fox News, if that network starts taking the scandal seriously and the Journal keeps dogging the Epstein story, this president can kiss a good swath of his supporters goodbye.
That would leave him largely alone.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk
You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: If Trump sues Murdoch over WSJ Epstein story, he'll lose | Opinion
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