Fearing the imminent demise of news mogul Rupert Murdoch, President Trump is demanding a swift deposition of the billionaire as part of his lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Mudoch’s attorneys have one week to respond to the president’s demands. 

Mr. Trump is suing the Journal, Mr. Murdoch, and his company News Corp as a result of the Journal’s reporting on the president’s relationship with a deceased sex criminal, Jeffrey Epstein. The Journal reported earlier this month that Mr. Trump had sent a “bawdy” birthday card to Epstein more than 20 years ago that included a drawing of a naked woman and the president’s signature made to look like pubic hair. 

“Hundreds of millions of people have already viewed the false and defamatory statements published by Defendants,” Mr. Trump’s lawyers write in their lawsuit. “And given the timing of the Defendants’ article, which shows their malicious intent behind it, the overwhelming financial and reputational harm suffered by President Trump will continue to multiply.”

On Monday, the president’s attorneys made a special request of the federal judge at Miami. The lawyers want Mr. Murdoch to appear for a deposition in the coming weeks, for fear that the 94-year-old press titan could die. 

“Murdoch is 94 years old, has suffered from multiple health issues throughout his life, is believed to have suffered recent significant health scares, and is presumed to live in New York, New York,” Mr. Trump’s attorneys write, arguing for Mr. Murdoch to appear for a deposition as soon as possible. “Taken together, these factors weigh heavily in determining that Murdoch would be unavailable for in-person testimony at trial.”

After the Journal reached out to the White House for comment about the alleged birthday note to Epstein, Mr. Trump spoke to Mr. Murdoch to discuss the matter, according to the Monday filing. 

“President Trump reached out to, and spoke directly with, Murdoch and advised him that the letter referenced in the Article was fake. Murdoch advised President Trump that ‘he would take care of it,’” the president’s lawyers claim. 

“It stands to reason, and President Trump believes, that after their conversation, Murdoch spoke to others at News Corp, The Wall Street Journal, and related entities to inquire about the Article and discuss the propriety of publishing the Article,” Mr. Trump’s lawyers write. “Indeed, Murdoch is widely known for having a hands-on approach over editorial decisions related to News Corp’s periodicals.”

Mr. Murdoch’s deposition is uniquely important, the president’s attorneys say, because the billionaire spoke directly to the president and was informed that the article was “fake” before it went to print. His incapacity at the time of a potential trial would hinder the lawyers’ ability to make a case, they argue. 

“Murdoch’s direct involvement further underscores Defendants’ actual malice and intent behind the decision to publish the false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements about President Trump identified in the Complaint,” the lawyers say. “Separately, it bears noting that Murdoch was born on March 11, 1931 — he is 94 years old.”

The president’s attorneys then go on to list a number of Mr. Murdoch’s health challenges, implying that he is at risk of passing away at any given time. They cite Mr. Murdoch fainting “at a breakfast with a journalist” earlier this year, his 2022 Covid diagnosis, and his bouts of “seizures … pneumonia, atrial fibrillation, and a torn Achilles tendon” all in the last five years.

“Murdoch recently turned 94 years old and has suffered, but thankfully overcome, multiple health issues throughout his life,” Mr. Trump’s attorneys write. “Moreover, upon information and belief, Murdoch resides in New York, New York, which is well over 100 miles from this District. 

“Thus, it is presumable, both because of his age and health and/or his distance from this Court, that Murdoch will be unavailable for trial,” they say.

Mr. Murdoch’s mother, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, died in 2012 at the age of 103. 

The attorneys argue that it would actually be beneficial for Mr. Murdoch to appear for a deposition on an expedited basis, given that the discovery process has not yet begun. The White House has said that the Journal has not yet shown it the birthday message Mr. Trump allegedly sent to Epstein more than 20 years ago. 

“On the one hand, Murdoch has access to all the information related to the Article and the decision behind publishing it. On the other hand, President Trump has very limited information related to the Article and lacks the same access to information that Murdoch does,” the president’s lawyers say. 

Judge Darrin P. Gayles of the Southern District of Florida, who is overseeing the case, ordered on Monday that Mr. Murdoch’s lawyers must respond to the president’s request within the next seven days.