A U.S. federal judge on Monday, April 13, dismissed Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, marking a significant legal setback for the U.S. president.
The lawsuit centered on an article detailing a 2003 birthday card sent to the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which allegedly bore Trump’s signature and included suggestive imagery.
While Trump and his legal team maintained the card was a forgery, U.S. District Court Judge Darrin P. Gayles ruled that the complaint failed to meet the “actual malice” standard required for public figures in defamation cases.
In his ruling, Judge Gayles noted that the Journal’s reporters had reached out to Trump for comment prior to publication and included his denial in the story, which allowed readers to draw their own conclusions.
The judge emphasized that the complaint did not prove the newspaper knew the information was false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. Although the case was dismissed, the judge granted Trump until April 27 to file an amended version of the lawsuit, a step the president has already pledged to take via his Truth Social platform.
The legal battle highlights ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and major media outlets.
The Wall Street Journal’s parent company, Dow Jones, expressed satisfaction with the decision and stood by the accuracy of its reporting. Meanwhile, press freedom advocates and congressional Democrats have raised concerns that the president is using the court system to stifle critical coverage. The dismissal comes as the Epstein case continues to generate significant public interest, particularly after congressional investigators released a copy of the disputed greeting card obtained from the financier’s estate.
This case is part of a broader trend of litigation initiated by the president against various media organizations, including the New York Times and the BBC. While some outlets like ABC and CBS have reached settlements following specific inaccuracies or editing disputes, the dismissal of the Wall Street Journal case underscores the high bar set for defamation claims involving public officials.
As the April 27 deadline approaches, the focus remains on whether an amended complaint can offer new evidence to satisfy the rigorous legal standards of the court.