U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a $15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times, accusing it of bias and defamation Image credit: Channels Television
(The Post News) – U.S. President Donald Trump, in another media lawsuit attempt, has sued The New York Times for $15 billion in defamation and libel, escalating his fight against the country’s leading media outlets. Late Monday in a Truth Social update, Trump declared he had the “great honour” of bringing the lawsuit against what he described as “one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the history of our country.”
The lawsuit, brought in Florida, states that the Times served as a “mouthpiece” of the Democratic Party and invoked Kamala Harris’s endorsement of the 2024 presidential candidate as evidence of bias.
“The New York Times has been allowed to lie, smear, and defame me freely for far too long, and that ends NOW,” Trump stated.
Epstein Reporting at the Center
The case is the most recent to track recent reporting in the Times of a 2003 birthday card note allegedly written by Trump to Jeffrey Epstein. The note, released by Congress earlier this month, included a suggestive cartoon and a signature that resembled Trump’s. Trump has claimed he did not pen it, claiming the handwriting and signature as forgeries.
Trump’s complaint also identifies Times reporters Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner, the authors of Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Wasted His Father’s Fortune and Faked Success. The complaint argues the book and related articles were part of a “malicious campaign” against Trump to defame him. Penguin Random House, the book publisher, is also included in the complaint.
Responding to this, a New York Times representative averred that “This lawsuit has no merit. It has no valid legal claims and is instead an effort to discourage and stifle independent reporting. The New York Times will not be intimidated by intimidation tactics.”
First Amendment attorneys note that public figures like Trump have a burdensome legal test, having to prove “actual malice,” that journalists acted with knowing falsity or in reckless disregard of the facts.
Media attorney Floyd Abrams characterized the lawsuit as “ridiculous as a matter of law but extraordinarily dangerous as a matter of national policy.”.
Pattern of Media Lawsuits
This is not the first attempt by Trump to sue the Times. A suit over its Pulitzer-winning coverage of his taxes in 2021 was dismissed in 2023, and other lawsuits against CNN and media personalities have fallen short as well.
There have been some payouts, however: ABC News and Paramount’s CBS News paid multimillion-dollar settlements earlier this year to resolve suits. His suit against The Wall Street Journal for Epstein-related reporting remains.
Press freedom groups, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, warn that these lawsuits can intimidate reporters and drain resources from newsrooms. “These types of suits send a chilling message,” the group said.
Media analysts argue that Trump’s lawsuit is political and strategic in origin: mobilizing his base, intimidating critics, and shaping the story about him.
Just hours before suing, Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger urged reporters to push back against legal bullying. “Stand up for your journalism. Stand up for your journalists. Stand up for your rights,” he wrote.
Irrespective of whether Trump succeeds in court, the $15 billion lawsuit showcases his aggressive use of lawsuits as a political strategy and his all-out war on the media.
About the Author
