President Donald J. Trump has officially filed a $15 billion defamation and libel lawsuit against The New York Times, citing what he describes as a “decades-long pattern of intentional and malicious falsehoods” aimed at damaging his reputation, his family, and the America First movement.
The lawsuit, lodged in the U.S. District Court for Florida’s Middle District, names four journalists from The New York Times and publisher Penguin Random House as co-defendants. It references three articles published between September and October 2024, as well as a book titled Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success, which the complaint alleges contains “repugnant distortions and fabrications.”
“The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!” President Trump declared in a post on Truth Social.
The complaint accuses the publication of acting with “actual malice” and claims it deviated from journalistic standards by publishing content without offering Trump adequate opportunity to respond. It also highlights the Times’ endorsement of Kamala Harris during the 2024 election as evidence of partisan bias.
President Trump is seeking compensatory damages of no less than $15 billion, along with punitive damages to be determined at trial. The lawsuit follows similar legal actions taken by Trump against other media entities, including a $10 billion suit against The Wall Street Journal and a $16 million settlement with CBS News over election coverage.