United States President Donald Trump on Monday filed a $15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times, accusing the newspaper of defamation and libel, and charging that it has acted as a “virtual mouthpiece” for the Democratic Party.
The move follows Trump’s warning last week that he would sue the paper over its coverage linking him to a sexually suggestive note and drawing given to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003. Trump and his aides have denied that he had any involvement in the creation of the note.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “Today, I have the Great Honor of bringing a $15 Billion Dollar Defamation and Libel Lawsuit against The New York Times. The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!” He also pointed to the paper’s endorsement of Kamala Harris during the 2024 election as proof of its bias.
The lawsuit, filed in a Tampa federal court, accuses the Times of engaging in a deliberate campaign of “false, malicious, defamatory, and disparaging” reporting aimed at undermining Trump’s campaign and legacy. His legal team said the reputational injury inflicted “reaches billions of dollars” and confirmed they are seeking at least $15 billion in damages.
The filing also referenced earlier suits brought by Trump’s lawyers against other media outlets, including Disney’s ABC News, Paramount Global’s CBS News, and The Wall Street Journal. According to Trump’s team, those actions resulted in multimillion-dollar payouts or remain active in court.
In July, Trump also sued the Wall Street Journal and its reporters over a story about letters linked to Epstein. Dow Jones, the Journal’s parent company, said at the time it stood by its reporting and would defend itself vigorously.
The New York Times has yet to issue a response to Trump’s latest lawsuit.
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