The Wall Street Journal reported on 17 July that a 2003 birthday album compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell for Jeffrey Epstein contained a risqué letter bearing Donald Trump’s name. According to the newspaper, the type-written note was framed by a hand-drawn outline of a nude woman and concluded with the line, “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.” President Trump rejected the account, insisting the letter is a fabrication. On 18 July he filed a US$10 billion defamation suit in federal court against the Journal, its parent company founder Rupert Murdoch and two journalists, alleging they knowingly published false material and that no authentic letter or drawing exists. Escalating the dispute, the White House on 21 July removed the Journal from the 13-member press pool scheduled to accompany the president on a 25–29 July trip to his Scottish golf courses. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the decision was taken "due to the Wall Street Journal’s fake and defamatory conduct," adding that no outlet is entitled to special access. The Wall Street Journal said it stands by the rigor of its reporting and will fight the lawsuit. The White House Correspondents’ Association denounced the access ban as “deeply troubling” and warned that retaliating against coverage infringes First Amendment protections. Press-freedom advocates echoed those concerns. The clash comes amid broader pressure on the administration to release more information about Epstein. At Trump’s instruction, Attorney General Pam Bondi last week asked a Manhattan federal judge to unseal grand-jury transcripts from Epstein’s 2019 sex-trafficking indictment, a move aimed at appeasing supporters who accuse the government of withholding records.