President Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times, accusing the publication of defamation and libel, and denouncing it as a “mouthpiece” for the Democratic Party.
According to the court filing, the case has been initiated in Florida. The lawsuit claims the coverage damaged Trump’s “unique brand” and hurt his business ventures, including the stock price of his media company, resulting in “reputational injury” valued at “billions of dollars.”
“Defendants published such statements negligently, with knowledge of the falsity of the statements, and/or with reckless disregard of their truth or falsity,” the lawsuit says, as per AP.
On Truth Social, Trump escalated his criticism, calling the outlet “a virtual ‘mouthpiece’ for the Radical Left Democratic Party” and claiming it spread falsehoods about him, his family, and his business, though he offered no details to support the accusations.
READ: Trump lawyers propose to settle his CBS, 60 Minutes lawsuit for $20 million (
Just last week, Trump warned of legal action against The New York Times over a report highlighting a sexually suggestive note and sketch linked to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, which appeared to bear Trump’s signature. Epstein, a convicted sex offender, died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019. While the White House dismissed any link between Trump and the note, describing it as a complete fabrication.
“The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!” Trump said, as quoted by CNBC.
Trump has unleashed a wave of defamation lawsuits in recent years, targeting major media outlets he claims deliberately misrepresented him. He has repeatedly argued that news organizations engaged in publishing false or misleading stories about his political career, personal life, and business dealings, framing the cases as part of his broader battle against what he calls “fake news.”
READ: Is it Trump’s signature? Controversial Epstein note fuels viral online debate (
In his Monday post, Trump also pointed to lawsuits he has filed against ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos, along with Paramount over its “60 Minutes” segment featuring then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris, which he accused the network of airing after “deceptive tampering” with her interview. These two cases concluded with settlement payouts of $15 million and $16 million, respectively.
Trump has additionally filed a $10 billion defamation claim against The Wall Street Journal, accusing the paper of tying him to the Epstein note in one of its reports.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the note allegedly penned by Trump to Epstein in 2003 was part of the materials examined by investigators who later pursued criminal cases against Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was accused of procuring the letter from the former president.