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Only Murdoch in the Building

After successfully shaking down Disney and Paramount, Trump has targeted ‘The Wall Street Journal,’ whose proprietor may not roll over so easily.

Rupert Murdoch
In an intriguing plot twist, Murdoch—also the proprietor of the very Trump-friendly Fox News—may prove to be the one media executive with the stomach to stand up to the president. Photo: Ricky Carioti - Pool/Getty Images
Dylan Byers
July 23, 2025

Last week, about 48 hours before The Wall Street Journal published its exclusive report on the “bawdy” birthday letter that President Trump sent to Jeffrey Epstein, the president put in a call from Air Force One to the Journal’s editor-in-chief, Emma Tucker, to try to kill the story. On the call, an obviously miffed Trump offered the categorical on-the-record denial that would appear in the report—“This is not me. This is a fake thing. It’s a fake Wall Street Journal story,” etcetera—as well as his legal threat: “I’m gonna sue The Wall Street Journal just like I sued everyone else,” he said.