Media outlets have widely speculated that Donald Trump’s lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal is likely to face significant hurdles, with many analysts predicting it will struggle legally. Reports from sources like CNN and The New Republic suggest that the case, centered on a story alleging Trump sent a “bawdy” letter to Jeffrey Epstein, lacks sufficient evidence to overcome First Amendment protections for journalistic freedom. Legal experts, as noted in various analyses, argue that Trump’s claims of defamation are weak, with some calling the suit an unprecedented and risky move for a sitting president, potentially backfiring due to its shaky legal foundation. This narrative dominates headlines, framing the lawsuit as a strategic misstep that could damage Trump’s credibility further.

However, this media perspective largely overlooks a critical underlying motive: the lawsuit appears to be less about winning a legal battle and more about settling a personal score with Murdoch. The real grievance, from Trump’s viewpoint, stems from the 2020 election, where Fox News, under Murdoch’s influence, made an early call of Arizona for Joe Biden shortly after polls closed on Election Day. Trump and his supporters have long contended that this call, which preceded other major networks and sparked a backlash among his base, contributed to the narrative of his defeat and undermined his claims of election fraud. This move by Murdoch’s organization is seen by Trump as a betrayal, fueling a desire for retribution that the lawsuit cleverly disguises as a defamation claim.

The media’s failure to fully explore this revenge angle reflects a tendency to focus on the surface-level legal aspects rather than the deeper personal and political dynamics at play. By emphasizing the lawsuit’s probable failure, they miss how it serves as a public tool for Trump to punish Murdoch for what he perceives as complicity in “stealing” the election. This omission allows the establishment narrative to sidestep the contentious issue of the Arizona call’s impact, which remains a sore point for Trump and his allies, who argue it swayed public perception at a pivotal moment. Instead of acknowledging this vendetta, the media frames the suit as a reckless legal gamble, potentially underestimating its role as a calculated act of vengeance in Trump’s ongoing political theater.