Trump says he will sue WSJ over its article detailing a 'fake' birthday note given to Epstein

President Donald Trump on Thursday night blasted the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) for publishing an article that alleged he sent a birthday note to the disgraced, late financier Jeffrey Epstein, stating he would sue the outlet over the publication.

The article claimed the president contributed to former Epstein associate Ghislane Maxwell's 50th birthday project for the late financier, which consisted of notes from close friends. The birthday gift was presented to Epstein in 2003.

The letter Trump allegedly sent was bawdy and concluded with the words, "Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

Trump has strongly denied writing the note, which the White House claimed was "not at all how he speaks or writes," and said that he warned the outlet that he would sue them and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, if the story was published.

"The Wall Street Journal, and Rupert Murdoch, personally, were warned directly by President Donald J. Trump that the supposed letter they printed by President Trump to Epstein was a FAKE and, if they print it, they will be sued," Trump posted to Truth Social. "Mr. Murdoch stated that he would take care of it but, obviously, did not have the power to do so. 

"The Editor of The Wall Street Journal, Emma Tucker, was told directly by Karoline Leavitt, and by President Trump, that the letter was a FAKE, but Emma Tucker didn’t want to hear that," he continued. "Instead, they are going with a false, malicious, and defamatory story anyway. President Trump will be suing the Wall Street Journal, NewsCorp, and Mr. Murdoch, shortly."

Trump claimed that the news media must "learn to be truthful, and not rely on sources that probably don’t even exist," and "looks forward to suing and holding accountable the once great Wall Street Journal."

The president added that the publication of the story showed the outlet's "desperation to remain relevant," and claimed that if there had been any truth to the "Epstein hoax" it would have come out in the 2024 presidential election.

The lawsuit and article come as the Trump administration faces backlash for its handling of the Epstein case.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.