Topline
President Donald Trump briefly greeted Wall Street Journal reporters during Friday night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, interacting with the same group who reported last year that he sent a crude letter to Jeffrey Epstein for the late sex offender’s 50th birthday.
Key Facts
Reporters with the Wall Street Journal were presented with the Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability for their story, which reported Trump wrote and signed a sexually suggestive letter to Epstein for his 50th birthday album.
Longtime CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer presented the award, addressing Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Journal’s parent company and two of its reporters, Khadeeja Safdar and Joe Palazzolo.
Some members of the audience cheered when Blitzer mentioned the lawsuit and Trump smiled and shrugged when Blitzer noted Safdar’s personal address was revealed in the lawsuit, which forced her and her family to relocate from their home.
After Safdar and other reporters behind the story accepted the award on stage, Trump shared brief handshakes with reporters including Safdar, who appeared to share a few words with the president before quickly turning away.
Following the final handshake, Trump could be heard saying “I don’t know,” before throwing his hands up, smiling and returning to his seat.
What To Watch For
Trump’s lawsuit against the Journal is ongoing. Trump refiled the suit in May after a judge tossed out the case in April, saying the president came “nowhere close” to proving the Journal showed “actual malice” when it reported the letter.
Key Background
The Journal’s report was followed up by a story that revealed the alleged letter Trump sent to Epstein, depicting the shape of a woman’s body and breasts alongside writing and what appears to be the president’s signature. The letter read like a movie script, showing exchanges between Trump and Epstein including, “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey,” and “Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.” Trump denied writing the letter. The Journal’s reporting heightened pressure on the Trump administration to release the Epstein files. Despite downplaying what would be revealed by the files, Trump eventually signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November, leading to document releases in December and January that were highly scrutinized for their high volume of redactions, incomplete disclosures and the mishandling of victim privacy.