President Donald Trump is directing his fury at the press as he tries to quiet the furor from his base over his administration’s failure to release the Jeffrey Epstein files despite pledges to do so.

Trump filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over its report that the president’s name was on a 2003 birthday card to the convicted sex offender that included a suggestive drawing.

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After a couple of weeks of the party disagreeing over the administration’s handling of the Epstein files, the base could begin to unite again over a common denominator — the media is to blame. As the administration has searched for ways to squash the issue, painting Epstein drama as another “witch hunt” from the “Deep State” has resonated with the base.

“Casting this as the latest chapter in the witch hunt to frame Trump is really the only play Trumpworld has, especially heading into the midterms [elections] when Trump won’t be on the ballot,” Republican strategist Dennis Lennox told the Washington Examiner. 

“Republicans need these MAGA base voters to show up, which is a challenge because so many of them are low-propensity voters whose loyalty is with Trump. The easiest way to energize them heading into 2026 is [to] make this a Russia hoax 2.0,” he added.

As Trump fights the press, his administration is also releasing more information on the intelligence that helped underpin a federal investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. Tulsi Gabbard, who heads the  Office of the Director of National Intelligence, claimed that former President Barack Obama and his national security officials “manufactured and politicized intelligence” to launch a “yearslong coup against President Trump.”

Trump’s base has long accused the media and the Democratic Party of unjustly coming after the president, leading to the strong loyalty many of his supporters show. Former adviser to Trump, Steve Bannon, spoke out on the issue to The Washington Post, claiming the saga is a conspiracy against the president, as even some of his own party has taken a stance against him.

“MAGA is now united, because they can see there’s a common enemy. They see exactly what the reality is — it’s the Deep State, with their media partners, led by Murdoch, that’s out to destroy Trump,” Bannon told the outlet. “And that’s been obvious from the beginning.”

The lawsuit filed in Miami claims defamation and names Rupert Murdoch, Dow Jones, News Corp, its Chief Executive Robert Thomson, and two Wall Street Journal reporters as defendants. The president slammed the story and denied his involvement with the birthday card. 

The White House confirmed Monday that the Wall Street Journal will not be part of its press pool to Scotland following the story’s publication. 

“Thirteen diverse outlets will participate in the press pool to cover the President’s trip to Scotland,” White House press secretary Karolina Leavitt told reporters. “Due to the Wall Street Journal’s fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the thirteen outlets on board. Every news organization in the entire world wishes to cover President Trump, and the White House has taken significant steps to include as many voices as possible.” 

This comes after the White House decided in February to hand-select reporters in the press pool covering the president. This group of reporters is in charge of relaying Trump’s day-to-day activities to the public. This decision shifted the long-standing precedent of the White House Correspondents’ Association determining the daily pool, as the administration has pursued efforts to push back on traditional media sources. 

Democrats and Republicans have been pressing Attorney General Pam Bondi to release the long-awaited Epstein files after the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigations released a two-page memo earlier this month stating there is no evidence Epstein blackmailed people or kept a “client list,” reiterating he died by suicide, a conclusion that has resulted in mounting backlash from Trump’s MAGA base. 

A handful of Republicans joined Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) last week in his fight to force a full release of the files through a discharge petition in the House. Massie announced the Epstein Files Transparency Act with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) to force a vote on the complete release of government files related to the convicted sex offender.

Democrats have continuously leaned into the issue to push back against the president, as the GOP holds a trifecta in Washington, while also trying to get ahead in the fight to flip back the House in the midterm elections.

Democrats on the House Rules Committee offered multiple amendments last week relating to Epstein to force the Republicans on the committee to vote against the release on record. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) eventually filed a rule that passed through committee, which consisted of non-binding language for the release of the files. 

House GOP leadership does not plan on bringing the Epstein bill to the floor this week as Congress heads for its monthlong recess Friday, as Johnson told reporters he wants to give the administration “space” to deal with the issue. 

As the White House aims to target traditional media for the uproar, Theo Von, a new media persona who has supported the president, called for a vote on Massie’s bill Monday, in response to a post on X regarding the speaker not putting an Epstein bill on the floor. 

“Theo Von and many on the left and the right are speaking up about releasing the Epstein files,” Khanna wrote to the Washington Examiner. “It is a simple question. Whose side are you on? That of rich and powerful men who abused young girls or America’s children.”

Mabinty Quarshie contributed to this article.