A federal judge on Monday dismissed a defamation lawsuit by US President Donald Trump against the Wall Street Journal.
The case is a setback for the president, who has tried to crack down on media companies that he accuses of treating him unfairly.
The case is one of several that Republican Trump has filed against major media organizations during his presidency over coverage he has called unfair or inaccurate.
This has raised concerns among Democrats that he is trying to use defamation lawsuits to stifle critical coverage of him.
Trump's lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal alleges that an article in the newspaper damaged his reputation. The article described a birthday card for the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump allegedly wrote the card to Epstein more than 20 years ago.
Dismissed by district judge
Trump and his lawyers have said the card is not genuine. They have maintained that position after the card, which appears to bear Trump's signature, was made public in connection with the Epstein investigation.
Trump filed the lawsuit in July 2025. It came at a time when his administration was facing criticism from several quarters over its handling of the Epstein case.
The lawsuit was dismissed on Monday by District Judge Darrin P. Gayles in Miami, Florida.
In dismissing the case, the judge said that Trump had fallen far short of the standard of proving "actual malice," which public figures must prove in defamation cases in the United States.
- Doesn't come close to the standard
This means that they not only have to prove that a statement about them was false, but also that the media outlet or person who made the statement knew or should have known that it was false.
- This complaint doesn't come close to that standard at all. Quite the opposite, the judge said.
However, he stressed on Monday that Trump has until April 27 to file a revised version of the lawsuit. On Truth Social, Trump has announced that he will exercise that option.
News Corp is the parent company of the Wall Street Journal and is owned by Rupert Murdoch. Dow Jones is a subsidiary of News Corp., which publishes the Wall Street Journal.
A Dow Jones spokesperson said in a statement that the company was pleased with the judge's decision.
- We stand by the reliability, thoroughness and accuracy of The Wall Street Journal's journalism.
The judge's decision did not address the accuracy of the content of the article about the birthday card.
/ritzau/Reuters
