Murdoch-Trump rift opens over Epstein – but don’t expect a decisive break

<p>The president has threatened to sue the 94-year-old media mogul over a Wall Street Journal story but their relationship has survived previous tensions</p><p>Threats to sue. Angry calls to editors. Public denunciations. In the wake of the Wall Street Journal’s story claiming Donald Trump contributed to a “bawdy” letter to the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – featuring a drawing of a naked woman’s silhouette around a typewritten personal message – the president’s relationship with the outlet’s proprietor, Rupert Murdoch, appears on the surface to have deteriorated from temperamental to terminal.</p><p>Just a few days ago, the 94-year-old mogul was spotted among the president’s high-profile guests at the <a href="https://x.com/hugolowell/status/1944484356074229982">Fifa Club World Cup final</a>. Following the publication of the article, however, Murdoch now finds himself on the president’s lengthy list of media opponents threatened with court action.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/jul/18/murdoch-trump-epstein-wsj-analysis">Continue reading...</a>