The Daily Fuckup

Donald Trump’s defamation suit over the Wall Street Journal’s Epstein reporting took a hit on April 13, 2026, when a federal judge dismissed the case without prejudice and gave him until April 27 to try again. That means the complaint, as filed, did not survive the court’s initial review — but the door is still open for an amended version.

The case centers on a July 2025 story about a birthday letter and drawing that the newspaper said bore Trump’s name and was tied to Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday album. Trump sued the paper, its parent company, Rupert Murdoch, and reporters involved in the story. The judge’s ruling did not resolve the dispute on the merits. It said only that the complaint, as written, did not clear the legal bar needed to proceed.

That distinction matters. A dismissal without prejudice is not a vindication for either side. It is a chance to fix the pleading, not a declaration that the underlying accusations are true or false. Trump can still refile by the April 27 deadline, but he now has to present a version of the case that does a better job of meeting the standard the court said he missed the first time.

Politically, the ruling is awkward for a president who tends to treat litigation as both shield and spectacle. The suit was meant to hit back hard at a damaging story. Instead, the first pass ended with a judicial warning that the filing was not good enough as submitted. Trump still has another shot, but another shot is not the same thing as a win. For now, the case lives on only because the judge gave him time to amend it.