Trump Sends Fawning Birthday Wishes to Billionaire He’s Suing for $10B
The president sent a video message rather than attending the star-studded bash in person.
The Washington Post/The Washington Post via Getty Im
President Donald Trump managed to put his grievances aside for a brief moment to share a gushing tribute to Rupert Murdoch for the media mogul’s 95th birthday celebrations, despite suing him for $10 billion.
The president was not present at the star-studded bash in New York on Saturday, but Fox News’ Bret Baier played a video message of the 79-year-old praising the chairman emeritus of Fox Corporation and News Corp.
Trump described Murdoch as “legendary” and “one of a kind,” while also praising his “courage, vision, and determination,” and saying he has “changed the world” during his decades-long career, the New York Post reported. The Post is one of several newspapers controlled by the media magnate’s News Corp empire.
Rupert Murdoch's conservative newspapers are not always so kind in their coverage of Donald Trump.
The Washington Post/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Trump did not spoil the occasion by reminding everyone that he is currently suing Murdoch over The Wall Street Journal’s reporting on a birthday message the president allegedly sent to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The Murdoch-owned paper first reported in July 2025 on the existence of a letter Trump allegedly wrote to Epstein for his 50th birthday as part of a book compiled by Epstein’s child-trafficking accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The bombshell report was met with fury from the president, who filed a $10 billion lawsuit against Murdoch and the Journal.
Sign Up for The Swamp Newsletter
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
“I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his ‘pile of garbage’ newspaper, the WSJ,” Trump posted on Truth Social last July. “That will be an interesting experience!!!”
Donald Trump's alleged birthday doodle drawing letter to Jeffrey Epstein.
Oversight Democrats
After Trump and the White House denied that the birthday message even existed, the Journal published images of a lewd drawing of a naked woman alongside a message telling the disgraced financier: “May every day be another wonderful secret,” apparently signed in the president’s distinctive, thick handwriting.
The message was sent around 2003, a period when Trump and Epstein were still close friends, before the financier was first exposed as a child sex offender.
Donald Trump sent a personal video birthday message to Rupert Murdoch rather than attending the bash in person.
Carlo Allegri/REUTERS
Elsewhere, the Post reported that Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner attended Murdoch’s 95th birthday celebration at The Grill in New York, alongside other MAGA figures such as Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Other high-profile guests included former British prime ministers Tony Blair and Rishi Sunak, former Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan, and actor Hugh Jackman, who performed songs including the Frank Sinatra classics “New York, New York” and “Fly Me to the Moon,” as well as tracks from the musical The Greatest Showman.
Murdoch does not actually turn 95 until Wednesday.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
- Account (completed)
- Payment (completed)
- Confirmation (completed)
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
- 1Account
- 2Payment
- 3Confirmation
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…