President Donald Trump expressed his desire on Friday for Rupert Murdoch, the owner of News Corp, to testify in ongoing lawsuits against him.
This came a day after Trump mentioned an article regarding a supposed letter linking him to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, coinciding with Epstein’s 50th birthday, as part of an attempt to critique the newspaper and its management.
In a remark shared online, Trump stated, “I look forward to Rupert Murdoch testifying in my case against him and his ‘Garbage Heap’ newspaper, WSJ. It would be an interesting experience!!!”
The article’s credibility has been questioned by some leading magazine figures who took issue with how the Trump administration handled matters related to the Epstein situation.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt noted that when asked to verify the story, the White House did not possess the letter it references, and the outlet failed to publish the supposed letter in question.
In a statement released Thursday night via Trump’s social media platform, he indicated that he had warned both the outlet and Murdoch that he would sue if they published what he deemed a “fake” story.
Trump mentioned that he directly informed the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch about believing the letters associated with Epstein were fabricated, warning of legal action should they proceed with any publication. Murdoch had promised to manage the situation, but Trump felt this had not been effectively addressed. Emma Tucker, the editor of the Wall Street Journal, was part of these discussions with Caroline Leavitt and Trump. He indicated they were made aware of the letter’s inauthenticity, but Tucker seemed disinterested. They instead persisted with what Trump described as false and misleading narratives. He is prepared to take action against the Wall Street Journal, Newscorp, and Murdoch soon.
Additionally, the statement referenced Trump’s prior legal victories against several media organizations, including CBS News and ABC News.
“The press needs to understand that there is truth beyond sources that likely do not exist. President Trump has successfully challenged figures like George Stephanopoulos/ABC, 60 Minutes/CBS, and looks forward to holding the Wall Street Journal accountable as well,” the statement concluded.
