Fact Check: Did Trump file a $100M lawsuit against Ted Lieu for saying he hurt children?
WASHINGTON, DC: As concerns and pressure pile up against the Trump administration over the reluctance to release Epstein files, a rumor is circulating on social media platforms claiming that President Donald Trump has filed a $100M lawsuit against Ted Lieu for allegedly saying that the president hurt children. The claim has sparked speculation and called for a fact-check.
Claim: Trump filed a $100M lawsuit against Ted Lieu
🚨Senator Lieu is about to enter the "find out" portion of messing with the wrong guy. 🔗 https://t.co/urcsgK7VNU President Trump has drawn a line in the sand, and Democrat Senator Ted Lieu is about to pay $100 million for crossing it. "You can call me names all day," Trump said. "But you don't get to say I hurt children. For that, you pay." Trump's legal team filed the massive defamation suit in DC Federal Court this morning, seeking to teach "haters" that some lies carry consequences. Lieu's office has gone silent since the filing. Follow @mcafeenew for more drops.
— John McAfee 🇺🇸 News (@mcafeenew) October 13, 2026
According to the viral claim, Trump has filed a $100M lawsuit against Democratic Representative Ted Lieu for allegedly saying that the president hurt children.
The claim appeared as a post on X, which stated, “President Trump has drawn a line in the sand, and Democrat Senator Ted Lieu is about to pay $100 million for crossing it.
"You can call me names all day," Trump allegedly said. "But you don't get to say I hurt children. For that, you pay."
The post went on to say that Trump's legal team filed the massive defamation suit in DC Federal Court, seeking to teach "haters" that some lies carry consequences.
The claim drew mixed reactions, with many believing it was true, while a few others remain skeptical and call for a fact check.
Fact Check: False; the claim originated as satire
The claim, however, is false, as there is no evidence of Trump filing a lawsuit against Lieu, and there are also no records of Lieu saying that Trump hurt children.
There are no official statements, announcements, press conferences, or social media posts from Trump or the White House about such a lawsuit.
If Trump had really filed such a lawsuit, it would not only go unreported by prominent news media outlets but would have even made headlines.
But a search for the claim on Google yielded no such media reports, except for the posts sharing that claim.
Additionally, the X account that posted the claim is not credible and, though not explicitly a parody account, it has posted several such fake and unverified claims for the sake of engagement.
Ted Lieu never said Epstein files showed Trump assaulting children
The post was based on the claim that has been circulating since February this year, according to which Lieu said that the full, unreleased Epstein files show President Trump assaulting children.
However, fact-checkers and news outlets have long debunked the claim, confirming that Lieu has never made such a remark against the president.
