Trump and Murdoch: The enemies who need each other
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What sparked the conflict between Trump and the Wall Street Journal over the Epstein birthday letter?
I'm Ruby Jones and you're listening to seven AM.
One of the defining themes of Donald Trump's presidencies has been his war against the media. Last week he banned journalists from three media outlets from the White House, saying he's had enough of the negative stories about him. This week, those outlets sued him over the ban. And just last year, he proved no one's off-limits, taking media mogul Rupert Murdoch to court in a $10 billion lawsuit that's still playing out. All over another story he didn't much like. Today, journalist and author Gabriel Sherman on the battle of the Titans between Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch, and who really holds the power in this twisted transaction. Yeah. It's Wednesday, September twenty three. So, Gabrielle, let's begin by going back to last July when Donald Trump learns that the Wall Street Journal is about to publish a story about a birthday letter that he sent to Jeffrey Epstein.
Tell me what happens.
Well, Trump has a very open channel to Rupert Murdoch. You know, they speak, I would say, if not several times a week, at least once a week. And like Trump always does with the press when there's something he doesn't like, he sort of bullies and threatens. And he called Rupert and said, This is ridiculous. Uh, you can't publish this. And, you know, Rupert entertained the call, spoke privately with uh Emma Tucker, the editor in chief of the Wall Street Journal. And uh lo and behold, the piece uh promptly ran.
The note's existence initially reported by the Wall Street Journal in July. The drawing shows the outline of a woman's torso, breasts and hips, with a message that reads In part, we have certain things in common, Jeffrey.
Trump denies obviously that he had any role in Jeffrey Epstein's uh illegal abuse of young women.
Before the closing words, Happy birthday, and may every day be another wonderful secret.
How did Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against Murdoch’s media empire unfold?
At the bottom, a familiar scrawled signature.
But of course, the letter itself shows that they had a very close personal relationship. And uh the letter itself also contradicted everything Trump had said about how he barely knew Epstein, that he had a falling out with Epstein. So, regardless, it was a very scandalous story for the Trump White House.
Hm. And so we know that Trump tried to stop the story before it was even published. Failing that, what does he do once it is out in the open?
Again, this is uh straight out of the Donald Trump playbook. But
but I I'm not a drawing person. I don't do drawings of women, that I can tell you.
He first threatens to sue and in this case he did sue. Tonight President Donald Trump is suing the Wall Street Journal's publisher and its leader, Rupert Murdoch, for ten billion dollars. By all accounts, the journal stands by its story. And most experts in the US, you know, believe the lawsuit is completely uh without merit. But again, this is more of a a as much of a public relations stunt as it is a legal one for Trump.
And we know that Trump has this direct line to Murdoch and has tried to tell him before publication that it's spake the letter. Tell me a bit about how personal this got between Trump and Murdoch.
You know, it's hard to say because both of these men are so incredibly transactional, they can be enemies one day and allies the next.
By the way, we just unrelated but we have two of the most talented people in the world. The legendary Rupert Murdoch and Larry Ellis.
And so Trump invited Rupert to the Oval Office after he had filed the lawsuit against him. And in fact, Trump had talked to Rupert Murdoch about being a part of the group of investors that were going to buy the Chinese stake in TikTok when the White House demanded that TikTok US be owned by American companies.
Why is the Trump‑Murdoch relationship described as “transactional” and how does it shift?
And so obviously, on the one hand, Trump was furious. And filed a lawsuit. And on the other hand, um, he still knows that Rupert Murdoch is a valuable ally. And so I think it's a bit of a mixed picture. This isn't a case where Trump has decided to just go to war with uh Rupert Murdoch and his media empire, because on some level, he still knows they're valuable.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What sparked the conflict between Trump and the Wall Street Journal over the Epstein birthday letter?
0:01–2:08
2
How did Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against Murdoch’s media empire unfold?
2:08–4:05
3
Why is the Trump‑Murdoch relationship described as “transactional” and how does it shift?
4:05–5:59
4
What role did Fox News play in the Trump‑Murdoch power dynamic during the 2020 election?
5:59–8:37
5
How did the Dominion voting‑machine defamation case affect Fox News and Murdoch’s strategy?
8:37–10:15
6
What lessons did Murdoch learn from the audience’s reaction to Trump’s false election claims?
10:15–12:19
7
Who holds the upper hand in the current legal fight over Trump’s Epstein connections?
12:19–14:02
8
How might the Trump‑Murdoch alliance evolve after Trump leaves office?
14:02–16:09
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