President Donald Trump filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, accusing the newspaper of publishing false and damaging stories meant to hurt his reputation.
The suit, filed in Florida state court, also includes four New York Times reporters and publisher Penguin Random House and claims that the publication attempted to damage his reputation and business ventures, per Reuters.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday to detail the lawsuit, claiming that The New York Times has become a “mouthpiece” for the Democratic Party.
“Their Endorsement of Kamala Harris was actually put dead center on the front page of The New York Times, something heretofore UNHEARD OF! The ‘Times’ has engaged in a decades long method of lying about your Favorite President (ME!), my family, business, the America First Movement, MAGA, and our Nation as a whole,” stated the President.
Trump continued by writing that The New York Times has “practiced this longterm INTENT and pattern of abuse” for some time, adding that they have been “allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame” him throughout his political career.
This lawsuit cites multiple articles, including an editorial and a book.
The first article that is cited in the lawsuit claims that the President was unfit to maintain his role, along with a book published in 2024 by Penguin Random House that is titled “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success.”
“Defendants maliciously published the Book and the Articles knowing that these publications were filled with repugnant distortions and fabrications about President Trump,” states the lawsuit, per Reuters.
Lawyers for the President further claimed in the lawsuit that The New York Times attempted to damage Trump’s reputation while also working to reduce his chances of winning the 2024 Presidential election.
“Today, the Times is a fullthroated mouthpiece of the Democrat Party. The newspaper’s editorial routine is now one of industrial-scale defamation and libel against political opponents,” continued the lawsuit, per ABC News.
The New York Times has responded to the news of the lawsuit in a statement, writing that the lawsuit “has no merit” and stating that the outlet will continue to work to bring news to the American people.