A federal judge on Monday dismissed President Trump’s defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over a report detailing a letter Trump allegedly sent to disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday.
Trump has denied writing the letter and claims it was fabricated. But U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles ruled that the president failed to meet the high legal standard required for public figures to pursue defamation claims—specifically, showing “actual malice.”
“The Complaint comes nowhere close to this standard. Quite the opposite,” Gayles wrote.
Gayles, who sits on the federal bench in Miami and was appointed by former President Obama, said Trump may attempt to amend and refile the lawsuit.
The suit stems from a July filing after The Wall Street Journal published a report about a 2003 letter Trump allegedly sent to Epstein. The letter reportedly included several lines of text “framed by the outline of a naked woman” and ended with the message, “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump has said he warned the Journal the letter was fake before publication and argued the outlet should have known the story was false. The Journal has stood by its reporting.
In his ruling, Gayles emphasized that the court was not deciding whether Trump actually wrote the letter.
“Because the Court finds that the Complaint fails to adequately allege actual malice, it declines to address these issues at this juncture,” Gayles wrote. “Moreover, whether President Trump was the author of the Letter or Epstein’s friend are questions of fact that cannot be determined at this stage of the litigation.”
The judge also noted that even if Trump had successfully alleged actual malice, his claims for special damages would still fail.
A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said the president plans to continue pursuing the case.
“President Trump will follow Judge Gayles’s ruling and guidance to refile this powerhouse lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and all of the other Defendants,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “The President will continue to hold accountable those who traffic in Fake News to mislead the American People.”
The lawsuit names The Wall Street Journal, the two reporters who wrote the story, News Corp, its CEO, Dow Jones, and Rupert Murdoch as defendants.
The case comes amid renewed attention on Epstein and his past associations. Trump has denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein and has said the two had a falling out years ago.
Last week, First Lady Melania Trump also addressed the issue from the White House, denying any connection to Epstein and claiming she was being defamed.
“The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect,” she said from the Grand Foyer. “I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.”
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