President Donald Trump filed a $15 billion libel lawsuit against the New York Times and four of its reporters, as he accused the newspaper of acting as a “mouthpiece” for the Democratic Party, marking the latest in a long line of legal battles the president has initiated against news media outlets.
Trump announced the suit on his Truth Social platform and claimed the paper was “becoming a virtual ‘mouthpiece’ for the…Democrat Party,” which he views as “the single largest illegal Campaign contribution, EVER.”
In his post, Trump cited the paper’s endorsement of his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, in the 2024 presidential race and claimed it was “put dead center on the front page of The New York Times, something heretofore UNHEARD OF!”
“The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW,” Trump added.
Without sharing any evidence, Trump also accused other media outlets of “smearing” using a “highly sophisticated system of document and visual alteration.”
The suit was filed before the Middle District Florida federal court.
Trump’s lawsuit mentions several articles published by the paper, including an editorial calling him unfit for office, and a book, “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success,” published by Times investigative reporters Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig. In the filing, Trump’s attorneys alleged: “The Book and Articles are part of a decades-long pattern by the New York Times of intentional and malicious defamation against President Trump.” The suit alleged the journalists and the paper “maliciously published the Book and the Articles knowing that these publications were filled with repugnant distortions and fabrications about President Trump.”
The libel suit comes days after Trump threatened to sue the New York Times after it published a series of articles about a lewd drawing and birthday message for Jeffrey Epstein allegedly signed by Trump. The alleged birthday note was present in the convicted sex offender’s 50th birthday book, scans of which were released by the House Oversight Committee last week. The president, however, has denied signing the book and the White House even questioned the birthday note’s authenticity. The Times had published a piece breaking down the signature on the book and its close resemblance to Trump’s signatures in letters he sent to New York City officials from 1987 through 2001. The newspaper said Trump’s personal lawyer had reached out, alleging the article was evidence of “malicious fabrications.” The president’s attorney had demanded the Times issue a retraction and apology, the paper said.
Details about Epstein’s 50th birthday book and Trump’s alleged birthday note were first reported by the Wall Street Journal in July. At the time, the Journal’s reporting only included descriptions of the alleged note but no images. Trump dismissed its authenticity, saying: “the Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein. These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures.” The president claimed he told billionaire media magnate Rupert Murdoch that the story was a “Scam” and said “I’m going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper.” The president followed through with his threat by filing a $10 billion libel lawsuit against Murdoch and the paper’s publisher Dow Jones, in Southern District of Florida federal court.
In July, Paramount, parent company of the broadcast network CBS, announced it had reached a $16 million settlement with Trump. The president had filed a lawsuit against the network over a CBS News 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris that aired ahead of last year’s election. The president claimed CBS News had deliberately edited the interview to make the Democratic presidential candidate’s replies appear more competent. A few weeks after the settlement, Paramount’s pending $8 billion merger with Skydance was approved by the FCC. Late last year, ABC News settled a lawsuit with the president over anchor George Stephanopoulos’ remarks that Trump was found liable for “rape” when a jury had actually found him liable for sexually assaulting writer E. Jean Carroll. As part of the settlement, ABC News issued a statement of regret and agreed to donate $15 million to Trump’s presidential library.
Trump Threatens to Sue The Times Over Reporting on Epstein Drawing (New York Times)
