President Donald J. Trump has filed a massive $15 billion defamation and libel lawsuit against The New York Times, holding the newspaper accountable for what he describes as decades of smear campaigns, misinformation, and partisan manipulation.
The announcement came late Monday night via Truth Social, where Trump issued a powerful and direct statement accusing the Times of operating as a “mouthpiece” for the radical Left and the Democratic Party. He described the lawsuit as a matter of justice not only for himself but for the America First movement and the millions of patriotic Americans who have been misrepresented and vilified by a deeply biased media machine.
“Today, I have the Great Honor of bringing a $15 Billion Dollar Defamation and Libel Lawsuit against The New York Times,” Trump posted. “One of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the History of our Country, becoming a virtual ‘mouthpiece’ for the Radical Left Democrat Party.”
Trump’s post didn’t hold back. He called out the New York Times for what he views as illegal political interference, even labeling their editorial endorsement of then-candidate Kamala Harris on the front page as “the single largest illegal Campaign contribution, EVER.”
He added:
“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.”
This lawsuit comes just one day after the New York Times published a hit piece implicating White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in alleged business dealings connected to Trump. The timing of the article has raised eyebrows, with many conservatives seeing it as yet another coordinated media attack designed to distract from the Biden administration’s ongoing failures.
This is far from the first time President Trump has taken the media to task through the legal system—and won. Earlier this year, Paramount Global settled a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump for a staggering $16 million plus an estimated $20 million in advertising. The case stemmed from a deceptively edited 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris.
Additionally, ABC News (and its parent company Disney) agreed to a $15 million settlement paid to the Trump Presidential Library following another defamation case initiated by the president. Trump alleged that ABC’s George Stephanopoulos and others knowingly broadcast false information, part of what he calls a “highly sophisticated system of document and visual alteration.”
In his Truth Social post, Trump also made it clear that this legal action is part of a broader effort to hold the mainstream media accountable.
“They practiced this long-term INTENT and pattern of abuse, which is both unacceptable and illegal,” Trump wrote. “The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!”
The lawsuit, which is being filed in the state of Florida, marks a serious escalation in Trump’s long-standing war against what he calls “Fake News.” It signals that the President of the United States is no longer willing to let media corporations act as unregulated political operatives for the Democratic Party.
Meanwhile, another legal case remains ongoing against The Wall Street Journal, which reported that Trump had written a birthday letter in 2003 to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump has denied writing the letter, despite the Journal producing an image of the alleged note bearing his signature.
