Trump accused Murdoch of defamation and filed a lawsuit for $10 billion after the WSJ article.

On July 18, US President Donald Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch, the owner of The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), his News Corporation media holding, and two journalists for publishing an alleged erotic gift to financier Jeffrey Epstein.

"The plaintiff demands a court decision against the defendants for damages <...> in the amount of at least $10 billion," the lawsuit says, the full text of which was published by Deadline.

According to the text of the document, the erotic drawing and cover letter, which, according to the WSJ, were drawn and presented by Trump, never existed. Also, the journalists who wrote that the American president sent these materials as a gift to Epstein did not provide any originals or any other evidence.

"The defendants invented this story to denigrate the personality and integrity of President Trump and fraudulently misrepresent him," the lawsuit says.

Meanwhile, Trump said that his lawsuit against Murdoch was filed not only in his personal interests, but also in the alleged interests of the American people.

"This lawsuit is filed not only on behalf of your beloved president, me, but also in order to continue to defend the interests of all Americans who will no longer tolerate the offensive actions of fake news media," he wrote on the Truth Social network.

For a word in someone else's pocket: ex-heads of the CIA and the FBI in the United States were accused of lying

The investigation will find out their role in promoting the theory of Trump's alleged ties with Russia.

On July 17, Trump announced his intention to sue the WSJ newspaper. He stated that it is a "disgusting and dirty newspaper" that tries to maintain its relevance by publishing false information.