Trump says WSJ ‘wants to settle’ $10B defamation lawsuit over Epstein letter: ‘They are talking to us’

WASHINGTON, DC: Looks like The Wall Street Journal may be trying to backpedal from a $10 billion Trump takedown.

President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday, July 29, that the WSJ is looking to settle the blockbuster defamation lawsuit he filed after they reported he once penned a birthday letter to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Donald Trump hints at possible settlement talks in lawsuit against WSJ

Speaking aboard Air Force One, the 79-year-old said the ball is now in his lawyers’ court.

“It’s in the lawyer’s hands. I’ve been treated very unfairly by The Wall Street Journal,” Trump said when pressed about why his legal team is trying to speed up a deposition from Rupert Murdoch himself.

But the commander-in-chief questioned whether the 94-year-old media mogul even knows what’s happening at his paper.

“I would have assumed that Rupert Murdoch controls it,” Trump mused. “Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t. They are talking to us about doing something, but we’ll see what happens. Maybe, they would like us to drop that,” he added. “They want to settle it.”

Donald Trump sues WSJ over Epstein-linked birthday note he claims he never wrote

Trump’s $10 billion beef with the WSJ centers on a story involving a 2003 birthday message allegedly written by Trump to Epstein, that reportedly included his signature and a cheeky drawing.

The president has denied ever writing the note, and his lawyers say the whole thing caused “overwhelming financial and reputational harm" for him. That’s why he’s now demanding billions in damages. In response to the reportage, the White House last week iced out Journal reporters from Trump’s trip to Scotland.

Murdoch’s lawyers have until August 4 to respond to Trump’s team, after a judge ruled in favor of keeping the pressure on. Trump’s lawyer wants Murdoch deposed within two weeks, citing the billionaire’s “recent significant health scares” that might prevent him from testifying later.

Courtroom docs even refer to Trump’s appeal to Murdoch, which he posted about on Truth Social. According to Trump, Murdoch promised to “take care of it" but ultimately failed to do so.

Dow Jones, the Journal’s parent company, has previously said it has “full confidence in the rigor and accuracy” of its Epstein expose and will “vigorously defend it in court.”

Donald Trump racks up multimillion-dollar settlements

If the Journal caves, it won’t be the first to fork over a chunk of change to avoid Donald Trump’s wrath.

Earlier this month, Paramount shelled out $16 million to settle Trump’s eye-watering $20 billion lawsuit over a '60 Minutes' Kamala Harris interview. The timing was suspicious—it came as Paramount tried to get the FCC’s blessing to merge with David Ellison’s Skydance Media.

Critics called it a cave-in, but it seems to have worked since the FCC gave them the green light.

Trump also bagged a $16 million payday from Disney over a controversial ABC News interview. What's more? Columbia University coughed up a stunning $200 million to the government to end a regulatory investigation reportedly triggered by the Trump administration. Harvard might be next, according to The New York Times.

Even law firms that represented Trump’s political enemies have reportedly struck pro bono deals with the government to stay in his good graces.

Rupert Murdoch vs Donald Trump coverage

Despite Trump’s public jabs, the Journal has long enjoyed editorial independence—even when it means putting the Murdoch name under the microscope.

The paper didn’t hold back when reporting on Murdoch’s family trust drama last year, where the aging tycoon lost a battle with his children. It also went full throttle on Theranos, even though founder Elizabeth Holmes tried to use her connection to Murdoch (who was an investor) to squash negative coverage.

So, while Fox News and The New York Post often lay out red carpets for Trump, the Journal plays hardball—especially on its opinion pages, which have taken shots at Trump’s policies for years.

“I’ve been right over The Wall Street Journal a number of times,” Trump said during a February sit-down with Murdoch in the Oval Office. “I don’t agree with him on some things.”