Trump’s $10 Billion WSJ Lawsuit Over an Epstein Birthday Card

Okay - I’ve dug into the Trump libel lawsuit and it’s pretty ridiculous. As you’ve probably heard, Trump is suing the Wall Street Journal because they reported he sent Jeffrey Epstein a birthday card with a naked woman on it, but guess what the amount is:

10 BILLION DOLLARS.

Yes, really. Ten billion dollars. For a story that’s almost certainly true, based on a letter the Journal says it reviewed, from a creep album Ghislaine Maxwell put together herself.

(EDIT: actually, the lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of Florida, includes two counts of defamation each seeking at least $10 billion in damages, for a total of at least $20 billion.)

20 BILLION DOLLARS.

But he’s not just suing the paper. He’s also going after Rupert Murdoch, News Corp, Dow Jones, and two reporters like this is some kind of media hit job instead of what it actually is - which is something people already find VERY believable.

Here’s the biggest problem for Trump: public figures can’t win libel suits just by whining. He has to prove actual malice - meaning they either knew it was false or printed it while ignoring obvious red flags. So, he has to prove that they KNEW the letter was not created by him but said that it was - just to fuck with him.

He also has to prove that the story actually caused him financial harm. That’s an incredibly high bar - and his suits against CNN and author Tim O’Brien both got thrown out. Courts don’t throw out stories just because they hurt someone’s feelings - especially when the reporting is backed up with receipts.

Also, the dollar amount he’s asking for isn’t just laughable - it’s legally unserious. He wants more than 25 times what Dominion got from Fox News - and that was over proven election lies broadcast for weeks. This is over a birthday card. He’s throwing out a cartoonish number not because it’s realistic, but because it makes headlines and keeps his base frothing.

at the mouth.And, of course, everyone knows by now that filing this suit opens Trump up to discovery. That means depositions. That means questions about his friendship with Epstein. That means possible documents, videos, signatures - stuff that would get dragged into public view under oath. If this thing gets past the early motions, he might quietly yank the whole thing just to avoid having to answer real questions.What were looking at isn’t a legal case - its a spectacle.

A sideshow. Its Trump using the courts like a stage to posture, distract, and pretend he’s the victim. Plus, he gets to tout that he won his other court cases, when really they just settled because they didn’t want to go through discovery either.If I had to bet, Id put my money on a quiet dismissal.

The question is - will Murdoch and company call his bluff. There’s no way they would settle for even 5% of what he is asking - but will they offer him a few million to go away and look like another set of corporate dipshits. Who knows? Nothing makes sense anymore.

Correction, October 7th, 2026: This post first said it looked like Trump planned to represent himself - the complaint is signed by his lawyer. It also said he’d failed to clear this bar every time he tried (ABC and CBS paid to settle with him), that he wants six times what Dominion got from Fox (it’s more than 25 times), and that the Journal physically saw the letter in a leather-bound album (it says it reviewed the letter).