Trump threatens to sue WSJ over publication of alleged letter to Epstein

A report from The Wall Street Journal alleging Donald Trump's name appeared on a risque 2003 personal note to Jeffrey Epstein has prompted an immediate and furious denial from the president, who labeled the letter a "FAKE" and vowed to sue the newspaper and its owner, Rupert Murdoch.

The letter, which WSJ reported was on Trump's personal stationery, was allegedly part of a leather-bound album gifted to Epstein by Ghislaine Maxwell for his 50th birthday—three years before sex-abuse allegations first emerged against the financier. The album reportedly contained notes from other prominent figures, including Prince Andrew and Kevin Spacey.

According to the publication, the note to Epstein featured typewritten text framed by a crude, hand-drawn outline of a naked woman. It reportedly concluded with the message, “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret," and featured the signature "Donald."

Trump's response was swift and absolute. "The Wall Street Journal, and Rupert Murdoch, personally, were warned directly... that the supposed letter... was a FAKE and, if they print it, they will be sued," he wrote on his Truth Social platform, calling the story a "pathetic attempt at election interference."

The administration's pushback too was immediate. Vice President J D Vance dismissed the report as "complete and utter bullshit" and "tabloid garbage," while WSJ, for its part, declined to comment to Reuters on either the story or the president’s threat.

This political firestorm comes at a fraught moment, on the heels of a Justice Department conclusion that there was no evidence to support long-held conspiracy theories about Epstein, a finding that itself followed months of promises from Attorney General Pam Bondi to publicly reveal "a lot of names."

The Epstein saga has created a rare fracture within Trump's base, with some supporters demanding more information be released, a pushback the president has dismissed as part of a "big hoax." The publication of this alleged letter now adds another element to an already charged conversation in the US.