Federal Court Drops Trump Suit Against WSJ

A federal judge in Florida dismissed President Donald Trump's lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal on Saturday. Judge Darrin Gayles issued the ruling, marking the second time a court has rejected the administration's legal challenge against the newspaper in this specific case.

The dispute centers on a 2003 birthday letter that The Wall Street Journal reported Jeffrey Epstein received from Trump. The article described a document containing a sketch of a nude woman and the sender's name. It also included the written message: "Happy birthday. May every day be another wonderful secret."

Trump's legal team filed the initial complaint in 2025, alleging the publication defamed him. In April, the same court dismissed the original version of that filing. Gayles granted the defense an opportunity to amend the text. Following that review, he determined the plaintiff failed to plausibly allege that the defendants made defamatory statements.

In his written resolution, Gayles stated that the claims "lack merit." He ordered the complaint to be dismissed based on that finding. The judge reiterated that the court agreed with the assessment that the defamation accusations were not substantiated.

The Wall Street Journal's attorneys had requested the case be thrown out. They argued the article included proper journalistic research and documented Trump's explicit denial of authorship. Their legal team told the court that sending an obscene letter to a friend is not inherently defamatory.

A spokesperson for Trump's legal team confirmed the White House will appeal the decision. The official stated that the president "will continue to demand accountability from those who deceive the American people with fake news and defamations."