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The defamation lawsuit, filed on July 18, took a personal turn, with Trump's legal team seeking to expedite a deposition of Rupert Murdoch. In court documents, Trump asked a federal court in Miami to compel Murdoch to answer questions under oath within 15 days.
The court documents said that Murdoch is 94 years old and has had some health problems.(File Photo: Reuters)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Jul 30, 2025 00:39 IST
US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the Wall Street Journal and its billionaire owner, Rupert Murdoch, are interested in settling his defamation lawsuit against the newspaper.
The US president filed a lawsuit over a controversial article published by the Journal, which alleged that Trump’s name appeared on a birthday greeting sent to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The greeting reportedly included a sexually suggestive drawing and references to shared secrets.
Trump strongly denied the claims, calling the alleged birthday greeting "fake" and accusing the Wall Street Journal of publishing the story to damage his reputation.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said, "I've been treated badly by the Wall Street Journal. I would have assumed that Rupert Murdoch controls it, but, you know, maybe does, maybe doesn't."
He added, "They are talking to us about doing something, but we'll see what happens. Maybe they would like us to drop that, so we'll see... yeah, they're having, they want to settle it. When I get treated unfairly, I do things about it."
TRUMP SEEKS FAST-TRACK DEPOSITION OF MURDOCH
The defamation lawsuit, filed on July 18, took a personal turn, with Trump’s legal team seeking to expedite a deposition of Rupert Murdoch. In court documents, Trump asked a federal court in Miami to compel Murdoch to answer questions under oath within 15 days.
The court documents said that Murdoch is 94 years old and has had some health problems. It also mentioned that last year, he collapsed during a breakfast meeting in London with Rebekah Brooks, who is the head of his British businesses.
The legal team argues that due to these health issues and his presumed residence in New York, Murdoch may be unavailable for in-person testimony during any future trial.
"Murdoch is 94 years old, has suffered from multiple health issues throughout his life, is believed to have suffered recent significant health scares, and is presumed to live in New York, New York," the court documents said. "Taken together, these factors weigh heavily in determining that Murdoch would be unavailable for in-person testimony at trial."
The lawsuit alleges that Trump personally told Murdoch that the birthday greeting was fabricated, but the Journal published the story regardless. This has added a personal dimension to the dispute, given Trump’s previous description of Murdoch as "my very good friend Rupert Murdoch."
Rupert Murdoch is chairman emeritus of News Corp, the parent company of the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, and numerous newspapers in the UK and Australia. His son Lachlan Murdoch serves as the company’s chairman, while Robert Thomson is the chief executive officer.
- Ends
With inputs from Reuters
Published By:
Satyam Singh
Published On:
Jul 30, 2025
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