The Memo: Trump-Murdoch story takes dramatic new turn with WSJ lawsuit
Trump is suing Murdoch, his company News Corporation and the Wall Street Journal's parent company. The suit was filed on Friday, following through on earlier social media postings from the president.
Trump being Trump, he had put the earlier threats in colorful terms.
'I'm going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper,' Trump warned, regarding Murdoch, in a social media post on Thursday evening.
On Friday morning, he followed up with another post: 'I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper, the WSJ. That will be an interesting experience!!!'
The core of the dispute is a story the Journal published on Thursday about Trump's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy financier and sexual predator who died in 2019, seemingly from suicide, while facing sex trafficking charges.
The Journal uncovered a birthday album that had apparently been put together for Epstein's 50th birthday, in 2003, by Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell, at one time Epstein's girlfriend, was ultimately sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiring in his abuse of minors.
The birthday album, the Journal reported, included a 'bawdy' letter 'bearing Trump's name.' The newspaper wrote that the letter included a hand-drawn outline of a naked woman, and some lines of text concluding 'Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.'
Trump contends the letter is a fake, contending in one post, 'These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures.' There has, however, been at least one example of a Trump picture – a basic sketch of the New York skyline – being sold off for charity.
Trump's lawsuit contends that 'the supposed letter is fake and the Defendants knew it when they chose to deliberately defame President Trump.'
Trump has been forthright about the fact that he contacted Murdoch directly to try to get him to stop publication of the story before it appeared.
And it is true that Trump and Epstein have a history.
There is footage of the duo partying together in the 1990s and, in 2002, Trump paid tribute to Epstein as a 'terrific guy' in a New York magazine profile of the financier.
Trump's quote in the magazine profile also included the observation that Epstein had an eye for women 'and many of them are on the younger side.'
Trump and Epstein later ceased contact, though the cause of their falling-out has never been definitively established.
In any event, Trump is now embroiled in litigation with Murdoch, having just five months ago praised the media magnate as 'in a class by himself' and 'an amazing guy' in the Oval Office.
The court clash creates risks for both men.
For Trump, Murdoch is a dangerous enemy. The real peril rests in the possibility of hard jabs being thrown in his direction by Fox News.
The cable news channel is a far more powerful conduit to the Trump blue-collar base than the Journal, which has a more upscale audience and has long functioned, in its editorial pages, as a strong advocate for business-friendly, free market policies.
Journal editorials have already been critical of Trump's stances on tariffs and his clemency toward people convicted of January 6-related offenses, among other things.
But any turn by Fox to offer pointed criticisms of the president could be more electorally damaging for Trump.
The reverse is also true, however.
Any such shift from Fox would contain massive potential pitfalls for Murdoch as well. Put simply, a prolonged conflict with Trump is just as likely to see Fox get hurt by a loss of viewers as it is to wound Trump.
There is precedent here.
After the 2020 election, there was serious concern at the network about a loss of viewers to networks further to the right, such as Newsmax. Those concerns were laid bare in the discovery process for the defamation case that Dominion Voting Systems took against Fox over false suggestions of fraud and other chicanery aired by guests on the network. The case was ultimately settled for more than $700 million.
In broad terms, viewers loyal to Trump appeared to leave the network because its initial coverage affirmed the validity of President Biden's victory. Critics say internal panic over this dynamic caused Fox to give overly credulous coverage to false claims of election fraud.
The Dominion case also revealed Murdoch's hope that the Capitol riot of Jan. 6 had ended Trump's political career. In one email from that period, Murdoch wrote, 'We want to make Trump a nonperson.'
Such a shift would have been striking since Fox was to the fore in giving Trump a regular platform in the years when he began his transition into politics. The network's 'Fox and Friends' show had a weekly 'Monday mornings with Trump' segment that began in 2011.
It is, of course, possible that tempers will cool between Trump and Murdoch, or that some settlement may be arrived at.
But if they keep on their current collision course, sparks are guaranteed to fly.
The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
13 minutes ago
- USA Today
Trump celebrates 6-month mark in office, touts US as 'most respected country' in the world
President Donald Trump celebrated the six-month mark of his second White House term by declaring that the United States has become the "hottest" and the "most respected" country in the world. "Wow, time flies!" he wrote on Truth Social on July 20. "Importantly, it's being hailed as one of the most consequential periods of any President. In other words, we got a lot of good and great things done, including ending numerous wars of Countries not related to us other than through Trade and/or, in certain cases, friendship." He added: "'One year ago our Country was DEAD, with almost no hope of revival. Today the USA is the 'hottest' and most respected Country anywhere in the World.' Happy Anniversary!!!" Trump's second term has been met with several challenges, including the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which he said he would end. The Israel-Hamas war in Gaza also rages on, alongside ongoing efforts to broker a ceasefire and secure the release of hostages. In a separate post, Trump also talked about his poll numbers "going up" among Republicans and MAGA base and claimed they "hit 90%, 92%, 93%, and 95%, in various polls, and are all Republican Party records." At the same time, a couple of recent polls showed Trump's overall approval rate dropping. A recent Economist/YouGov poll, conducted from July 11 to July 14, showed 41% of Americans strongly or somewhat approve of Trump's job performance, while 55% strongly or somewhat disapprove. The results, according to the survey, are the "largest share of Americans who have disapproved of Trump's job performance so far in his second term as president." Another poll, released July 20 by CBS/YouGov, placed Trump's approval rating at 42%, with disapproval at 58%. The survey previously found Trump's approval rating was 45% in June and 47% in mid-April. Trump's on a roll. Why isn't he smiling? Answer: Jeffrey Epstein Democratic leadership is not buying Trump's self-assessment Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin was critical of Trump's self-assessment, adding that every American needs to ask themselves if they are better off than they were six months ago. 'Unless you're a billionaire or a big CEO, the answer is no," he said in a statement. "In six months, Donald Trump has skyrocketed prices for basic necessities, sparked an erratic trade war with no end in sight, and orchestrated the largest cuts to health care and food assistance in American history. As Trump's reckless trade agenda forces small businesses to plan for recession, working families are drowning in sky-high energy, gas, and grocery prices." Contributing: Kathryn Palmer
The Hill
13 minutes ago
- The Hill
ICE head says agency to crack down on American companies hiring unauthorized workers
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) acting director Todd Lyons said in an interview that aired Sunday that his agency will crack down on American companies hiring unauthorized workers. 'Not only are we focused on those individuals that are, you know, working here illegally, we're focused on these American companies that are actually exploiting these laborers,' Lyons said on CBS News's 'Face the Nation.' 'These people that came here for a better life. You know, either, you know, forced labor, child trafficking, you know, a lot of these work site cases — just isn't a victimless crime of someone here working illegally,' he added. 'And that's why we're going there with these criminal warrants to focus on these American businesses that are trying to make an extra dollar on the backs of these people that came here for a better life.' In the first few months of his second term, President Trump and his administration have heavily cracked down on immigration, drawing criticism from Democrats and advocates. On Sunday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) criticized the Trump administration's reasoning for allowing ICE officers to wear masks as a way to protect themselves and their families from retaliation. 'Well, first of all, let me just tell you that the masked men are not from Los Angeles, and so how their families could be retaliated against,' Bass said on 'Face the Nation.' 'And then what is that to say to local law enforcement, the Los Angeles Police Department, none of whom are ever masked, who always identify themselves and even hand someone a business card. So that makes absolutely no sense at all,' she added.
Axios
13 minutes ago
- Axios
Trump threatens to derail Commanders' stadium deal over name change
President Trump said he may move to block the Washington Commanders new stadium as he called on the NFL team and also MLB's Cleveland Guardians to restore their old names. The big picture: The Commanders changed their name from the Washington Redskins and the Guardians from the Cleveland Indians in the wake of an anti-racism movement that swept the U.S. after the 2020 murder of George Floyd and following years of activism and protests against the monikers that many many Native Americans considered offensive. The Commanders had urged D.C. Council to get the RFK Stadium redevelopment approved or risk Trump's intervention, per Axios' Cuneyt Dil. The president can influence the NFL stadium project due to the power of the White House and through federal design commissions, Dil notes. Driving the news: "The Washington 'Whatever's' should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team," Trump said in a Sunday post to Truth Social. "Likewise, the Cleveland Indians, one of the six original baseball teams, with a storied past," he said. "Our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen," added Trump, without providing evidence. Zoom in: In a later post, Trump said he "may put a restriction" on the Commanders "if they don't change the name back. "I won't make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington," he added. Trump went on to attack Matt Dolan — a former state senator who's the son of the late Cleveland Guardians owner Larry Dolan, whom AP reports is no longer involved with the team. What they're saying: Chris Antonetti, the Guardians' president of baseball operations, said in a media statement he hadn't paid much attention to the matter of changing the team's name back.
