President Donald Trump is once again at the center of controversy—this time threatening legal action against Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul behind the Wall Street Journal, Fox News, and other outlets. The source of Trump’s fury? A recent Wall Street Journal report claiming that Jeffrey Epstein once drafted a birthday letter to Trump.

The report, which cites previously unreleased documents from Epstein’s private files, mentions a birthday note allegedly written to Trump—sparking renewed public interest in any connections between the two. Trump, who has long denied a close association with the convicted sex offender, erupted over the article, calling it “fake news” and “malicious defamation.”

In a fiery Truth Social post, Trump wrote:

"Rupert Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal have gone too far. Publishing lies about me from a dead man’s files is beyond disgusting. I’m considering a major lawsuit."

The potential lawsuit would represent yet another clash between Trump and Murdoch’s media empire, a relationship that has soured in recent years. Though once seen as allies, Trump has increasingly accused Fox News and the Wall Street Journal of bias, especially as they’ve given more airtime to his GOP rivals and critical coverage of his ongoing legal troubles.

Critics see the WSJ article as part of a broader media strategy to link high-profile figures to Epstein, whose connections spanned the globe, from politicians to business leaders. Supporters of Trump argue that the birthday letter—if it exists—proves nothing more than a surface-level acquaintance and does not imply deeper involvement.

The article arrives at a sensitive time for Trump, who is campaigning to return to the White House while also juggling multiple criminal indictments and civil lawsuits. He has consistently positioned himself as a target of a coordinated smear campaign from what he calls the “fake news media” and the “deep state.”

Whether Trump will follow through with a lawsuit remains to be seen. Legal experts note that suing for defamation requires proving that the story was not only false but published with malicious intent—no easy feat when the subject is a public figure like Trump.

Still, the incident underscores the combustible relationship between Trump and Murdoch’s news outlets—once his biggest amplifiers, now frequent targets of his wrath.

As the 2024 election season heats up, one thing is clear: the media battles surrounding Donald Trump show no signs of cooling down.