Trump stumbled on Epstein, and Rupert Murdoch has pounced
Murdoch also needs these viewers if he wants to remain such a rich and powerful political force in the US.
It means Murdoch has had to draw careful battle lines between his own media fiefdoms.
News Corp offered the full-throated defence of the WSJ story: 'We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit,' it said.
The WSJ doubled down, reporting that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed President Donald Trump in May that his name appeared multiple times in the government's files on Epstein.
The message from inside News Corp is Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch are determined not to cave in to Trump and will go to court if necessary.
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The Washington Post quoted Rupert telling associates: 'I'm 94 years old, and I will not be intimidated.'
Meanwhile at Fox, the lawsuit and allegations have warranted a tepid mention at best.
Australian columnist Miranda Divine, now at News Corp's Republican mouthpiece, the New York Post, described the WSJ reports as a 'nothingburger'.
And if this delicate dance can be maintained, it will be lucrative for Murdoch.
Both News Corp and Fox shares hit record highs in February, just weeks after Trump's inauguration.
And there was no hiding Trump's role in the success of Fox News – the most profitable Fox Corp business – when Lachlan presented its most recent quarterly results in May.
'Nowhere is Fox's leadership more evident than Fox News,' he told analysts and investors. Ratings were up 30 per cent for the network in April, and it clinched top spot on prime-time ratings last week over mainstream networks such as CBS and ABC.
This is a feat unheard of for a cable news network. 'The momentum that we're seeing within Fox News, obviously driven first by really sort of record-setting audience and share, that's flown through nicely to the revenue line,' Lachlan said.
The problem for Rupert is that pandering to his Fox audience means pandering to Trump, and he has never been a fan of Trump's political aspirations.
Murdoch publicly supported other candidates during the 2016 campaign before embracing Trump when his candidacy became inevitable.
He has tolerated Trump's White House, and maintained close ties, but quickly tried to move the Republican base on to fresh leadership after the 2020 election loss.
Murdoch said at the time: 'We want to make Trump a non-person.'
That manoeuvre ended badly when Fox's acceptance of the result led to viewers defecting in droves to channels more loyal to Trump's claims that the election was stolen.
It promised to be a financial disaster and Fox scrambled back into favour with an about-face supporting the stolen election theory. It is still counting the cost.
In 2023, Fox paid Dominion Voting Systems $US787 million to settle claims the network promoted lies about the 2020 presidential election.
It still faces a multibillion-dollar lawsuit from another voting systems provider, Smartmatic, which will go to court next year if Fox does not make an offer to settle.
For Murdoch, the Epstein scandal serves as another opportunity to test Trump's hold on the Republican Party, and it should not prove as costly as the $US10 billion Trump headline suggests.
A quick look at the details of his case reveals problems, starting with the fact that it appears to fall over at the first hurdle of failing to notify the WSJ of the lawsuit at least five days before filing it.
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But that is the least of Trump's issues.
'The complaint is full of sound and fury but lacks legal merit,' Leonard M. Niehoff, a University of Michigan law professor who specialises in media law, told The Washington Post.
'It shouldn't intimidate a news organisation with good lawyers. The Wall Street Journal has those.'
The high hurdles for Trump include having to meet the 'actual malice' standard which means proving the WSJ knew the information they published was false.
Ironically, this is what Fox was accused of doing in promoting Trump's stolen election claim in 2020.
That legal battle taught Murdoch a lesson on the damage that can be done by the legal discovery process, which produced embarrassing and costly revelations – including the contempt both Murdoch and Fox held for Trump's stolen election claims and the man himself.
A text surfaced from Tucker Carlson – a Fox network star at that time – referring to Trump saying, 'I hate him passionately'.
If Trump continues to pursue this case, the legal discovery process on his relationship with Epstein could further inflame his support base.
A clear opportunity to fatally damage Trump's political standing with the Epstein scandal could be the avenue Murdoch is looking to exploit.
And if it doesn't damage Trump? Both men are ruthlessly transactional and have made up before.
'We don't want to antagonise Trump further,' Murdoch said in a memo uncovered by the Dominion case.
Murdoch explained in a later deposition relating to that matter: 'He had a very large following, and they were probably mostly viewers of Fox, so it would have been stupid.'
And we know Trump's proven ability to chicken out and distract.
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As he posted to Truth Social followers this week, survival comes first.
'Winning is important, but survival is even more important. If you don't survive, you don't get to fight the next battle.'
Wise words for both sides as his latest battle with Murdoch gathers a head of steam.
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The trip shows how the president has become increasingly comfortable intermingling his governing pursuits with promoting his family's business interests. Trump has described Scotland as a "very special place" and made a similar trip there in 2016 during his first run for the presidency, but he will not necessarily get a warm welcome. About 70 per cent of Scots have an unfavourable opinion of Trump, while 18 per cent have a favourable opinion, an Ipsos poll in March found. His visit requires a major police operation that will cost Scottish taxpayers millions of pounds as protests are planned over the weekend. The union representing officers is concerned that they are already overworked and will be diverted from their normal duties. The overseas travel comes as Trump faces the biggest domestic political crisis of his second term in office. Allies and opponents alike have criticised his administration's handling of investigative files related to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's criminal charges and the circumstances of his 2019 death in prison. The issue has caused a rare breach with some of Trump's most loyal Make America Great Again supporters, and majorities of Americans and Trump's Republicans say they believe the government is hiding details on the case, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. White House officials, frustrated by the ongoing focus on the Epstein saga, are hoping the controversy dies down while Trump is abroad, one person familiar with the matter said. with PA and Reuters US President Donald Trump has arrived in Scotland as his family's business prepares for the upcoming opening of a new golf course in Aberdeenshire billed as "the greatest 36 holes in golf". Air Force One - the presidential plane - touched down at Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire on Friday just before 8.30pm. The president was met by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray as he disembarked, before heading to the waiting presidential helicopter Marine One, bound for his nearby Turnberry golf course. His presence is expected to spark protests across the country, with Scottish Police being forced to request aid from other forces to help increase manpower for the trip. Trump is set to spend time at his golf resort in Turnberry on Scotland's west coast, before heading to his sprawling golf property 320 kilometres away near Aberdeen in the east. But it won't be all play and no work. He will meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen who both want to talk about trade. Trump said Washington was also working hard on a possible trade deal with the EU, which he said was very keen to make a deal. EU diplomats say a deal could result in a broad 15 per cent tariff on EU goods, mirroring a framework agreement with Japan and half of the 30 per cent tariff Trump is threatening to impose by August 1 As part of the visit, he will open a second 18-hole course on the Aberdeen property named in honour of his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born and raised on a Scottish island before emigrating to America. The White House has described the trip as "private". The trip shows how the president has become increasingly comfortable intermingling his governing pursuits with promoting his family's business interests. Trump has described Scotland as a "very special place" and made a similar trip there in 2016 during his first run for the presidency, but he will not necessarily get a warm welcome. About 70 per cent of Scots have an unfavourable opinion of Trump, while 18 per cent have a favourable opinion, an Ipsos poll in March found. His visit requires a major police operation that will cost Scottish taxpayers millions of pounds as protests are planned over the weekend. The union representing officers is concerned that they are already overworked and will be diverted from their normal duties. The overseas travel comes as Trump faces the biggest domestic political crisis of his second term in office. Allies and opponents alike have criticised his administration's handling of investigative files related to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's criminal charges and the circumstances of his 2019 death in prison. The issue has caused a rare breach with some of Trump's most loyal Make America Great Again supporters, and majorities of Americans and Trump's Republicans say they believe the government is hiding details on the case, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. White House officials, frustrated by the ongoing focus on the Epstein saga, are hoping the controversy dies down while Trump is abroad, one person familiar with the matter said. with PA and Reuters
