My new essay for The Hill draws a cautionary lesson for Donald Trump from an unexpected source – Oscar Wilde. Here is the gist:
What Trump should learn from Oscar Wilde’s doomed lawsuit
Over a century before Trump’s “powerhouse” defamation case against the Wall Street Journal for publishing an article about his supposed birthday note to Epstein, another outsize figure came to grief by filing an ill-advised libel action that he knew was false.
In 1895, the poet and playwright Oscar Wilde was the most renowned literary figure in the English-speaking world. By sheer force of personality, Wilde led an artistic movement that defied convention, offended propriety and created an esthetic revolution.
Then he wrecked it all by subjecting himself to a relentless cross-examination about his then-scandalous intimate life in a case he could not win.
Trump appears to be making the same mistake. His lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal can expose him to extensive questioning under oath about escapades he has kept mostly under wraps.
You can read the full piece at The Hill.
Posted by Steve Lubet on August 4, 2025 at 12:33 PM