A cloud of intrigue is swirling in Washington DC after a Wall Street Journal bombshell on Donald Trump’s alleged links to Jeffrey Epstein, and whispers that Vice President JD Vance might have met media tycoon Rupert Murdoch just days before the story dropped.
The Journal published a sensational report last week alleging that a 2003 birthday album made for Epstein by Ghislaine Maxwell featured Trump’s name and a drawing attributed to him. The story has sent shockwaves through MAGA circles and prompted Trump to launch a $10 billion defamation lawsuit. But inside-the-Beltway chatter has now turned to an unconfirmed meeting between Vance and Murdoch that could have major political ramifications.
A surprise visit to Montana
According to multiple reports, Vance and his wife Usha flew to Montana on Tuesday, just a day before the Journal ran its headline-making piece. The couple made the trip aboard Air Force Two, the official plane of the Vice President, and landed in Butte, roughly 110 kilometers from Murdoch’s sprawling family ranch.
The 340,000-acre ranch, which Murdoch purchased from the Koch brothers in 2021 for an estimated $280 million, spans two valleys and a mountain range and houses about 12,000 cattle. It sits near the scenic Montana-Idaho border close to Yellowstone National Park.
Murdoch, who stepped down as chairman of Fox Corp and News Corp in 2023, reportedly hosted Vance along with his son and current News Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch, and several Fox executives. The meeting is said to have been brief, with the Vice President’s aircraft remaining on the ground for only a few hours, according to Federal Aviation Administration data.
While what exactly was discussed remains unknown, the optics of the meeting have sparked intense speculation, especially given the timing.
Montana State Auditor James Brown, a key political figure in the state, was reportedly involved in coordinating the trip. He told reporters that he met Vance at the airport and accompanied the second lady’s staff during an hour-long drive to the ranch.
Was Trump kept in the dark?
The real question is whether Murdoch gave Vance a heads-up about the Wall Street Journal report, and whether Trump knew about the meeting in advance.
“It all depends,” one senior GOP insider told [Your Outlet]. “If the Murdochs tipped off Vance, that changes everything. Trump’s always been wary of who’s really loyal.”
Trump, notably, was reportedly reluctant to pick Vance as his running mate in the first place. He had favoured North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum but was persuaded by mega-donor Peter Thiel and other influential Republicans to go with Vance. Some even believe Thiel and his allies see Vance as Trump’s eventual successor.
While Vance has remained outwardly loyal to Trump, and even helped facilitate a brief thaw in relations between Elon Musk and the former president, the secretive Montana meeting is raising eyebrows.
Murdoch himself has had a complicated relationship with Trump. He attended the inauguration earlier this year and visited him in the Oval Office. Yet, the Wall Street Journal, owned by News Corp, has taken an increasingly critical stance toward Trump’s second administration, particularly over tariffs and foreign policy.
Fundraising or factionalism?
As Chair of the Republican National Committee’s Finance Committee, Vance is also in charge of spearheading the party’s fundraising efforts for the 2026 midterms. That adds another layer of intrigue to his Montana visit. The Murdochs, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, could theoretically donate unlimited sums to GOP efforts.
Was Vance merely trying to lock in billionaire backing, or were deeper ideological alignments discussed?
Trump’s legal firestorm
Trump, meanwhile, has launched an aggressive counterattack. In a $10 billion lawsuit filed in federal court in Miami, he is suing Murdoch, Dow Jones, News Corp CEO Robert Thomson, and two Wall Street Journal reporters for defamation.
“We have just filed a POWERHOUSE Lawsuit against everyone involved in publishing the false, malicious, defamatory, FAKE NEWS ‘article’ in the useless ‘rag’ that is, The Wall Street Journal,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“I hope Rupert and his ‘friends’ are looking forward to the many hours of depositions and testimonies they will have to provide in this case,” he added.
The Wall Street Journal article had claimed Trump’s name appeared in a birthday album gifted to Epstein by Maxwell, alongside a “childlike” drawing signed by Trump. Trump has denied the note exists and called the article “fake.”
“Tellingly, the Article does not explain whether Defendants have obtained a copy of the letter, have seen it, have had it described to them, or any other circumstances that would otherwise lend credibility to the Article,” the lawsuit states.
A Dow Jones spokesperson responded: “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”
Legal experts say the $10 billion figure is wildly unrealistic.
“Ten billion dollars is a ridiculously high number,” said Jesse Gessin, a First Amendment lawyer. “It would be the largest defamation verdict in US history.”
The current record includes Fox News’ $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems and a $1.5 billion judgment against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
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