US President Donald Trump has stated his intention to sue the New York Times for a staggering $15 billion (£11 billion), accusing the paper of defamation and libel.
In a recent post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump declared, The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW! He specifically criticized the Times' endorsement of Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election, describing the newspaper as a mouthpiece for the Radical Left Democrat Party.
Trump’s lawsuit is set to be filed in Florida, a stronghold for Republicans, and the former president has previously expressed significant frustration towards what he perceives to be biased media coverage against him.
In his recent post, Trump lamented a prior endorsement of Harris, saying, Their Endorsement of Kamala Harris was actually put dead center on the front page of The New York Times, something heretofore UNHEARD OF! Furthermore, he accused various media outlets of smearing him through what he called a highly sophisticated system of document and visual alteration.
Trump has seen some success in legal battles against media outlets this year, with ABC News and CBS News recently agreeing to multimillion-dollar settlements in separate suits. He has also pursued action against the Wall Street Journal regarding its reporting linked to the Epstein scandal.
This isn’t Trump’s first attempt to sue the New York Times; a previous $100 million lawsuit he filed was dismissed by a judge for failing to meet constitutional standards. The earlier case concerned allegations relating to a Pulitzer Prize-winning series on his financial dealings.
In another instance, Trump attempted to sue CNN for comments that likened him to Adolf Hitler, resulting in a $475 million lawsuit that was also dismissed by a federal judge.
Clarification: This story has been updated to include details about Trump's settlements with ABC News and Paramount.
