diff --git a/src/wp-includes/class-wp-xmlrpc-server.php b/src/wp-includes/class-wp-xmlrpc-server.php
index 260c6f86dc..6dca9e1132 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/class-wp-xmlrpc-server.php
+++ b/src/wp-includes/class-wp-xmlrpc-server.php
@@ -1708,6 +1708,16 @@ class wp_xmlrpc_server extends IXR_Server {
 			$post['post_date_gmt'] = $this->_convert_date( $post['post_date_gmt'] );
 		}
 
+		/*
+		 * If the API client did not provide post_date, then we must not perpetuate the value that was
+		 * stored in the database, or it will appear to be an intentional edit. Conveying it here as if
+		 * it was coming from the API client will cause an otherwise zeroed out post_date_gmt to get set
+		 * with the value that was originally stored in the database when the draft was created.
+		 */
+		if ( ! isset( $content_struct['post_date'] ) ) {
+			unset( $post['post_date'] );
+		}
+
 		$this->escape( $post );
 		$merged_content_struct = array_merge( $post, $content_struct );
 
diff --git a/tests/phpunit/tests/xmlrpc/wp/editPost.php b/tests/phpunit/tests/xmlrpc/wp/editPost.php
index 920dd4c51b..7d38f532cd 100644
--- a/tests/phpunit/tests/xmlrpc/wp/editPost.php
+++ b/tests/phpunit/tests/xmlrpc/wp/editPost.php
@@ -496,4 +496,33 @@ class Tests_XMLRPC_wp_editPost extends WP_XMLRPC_UnitTestCase {
 		$future_date_string = strftime( '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S', $future_time );
 		$this->assertEquals( $future_date_string, $after->post_date );
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @ticket 45322
+	 */
+	function test_draft_not_assigned_published_date() {
+		$editor_id = $this->make_user_by_role( 'editor' );
+
+		// Start with a draft post, confirming its post_date_gmt is "zero".
+		$post    = array(
+			'post_title'  => 'Test',
+			'post_status' => 'draft',
+		);
+		$post_id = $this->myxmlrpcserver->wp_newPost( array( 1, 'editor', 'editor', $post ) );
+
+		$before  = get_post( $post_id );
+		$this->assertEquals( '0000-00-00 00:00:00', $before->post_date_gmt );
+
+		// Edit the post without specifying any dates.
+		$new_post_content = array(
+			'ID'         => $post_id,
+			'post_title' => 'Updated',
+		);
+
+		$this->myxmlrpcserver->wp_editPost( array( 1, 'editor', 'editor', $post_id, $new_post_content ) );
+
+		// The published date should still be zero.
+		$after = get_post( $post_id );
+		$this->assertEquals( '0000-00-00 00:00:00', $after->post_date_gmt );
+	}
 }