President Donald Trump filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times on Monday for allegedly attempting to undermine his character and his 2024 presidential candidacy with “actual malice.”
The lawsuit accused the Times of being a “full-throated mouthpiece of the Democrat Party” by publishing dozens of articles that promoted “falsehoods” about Trump to help former Vice President Kamala Harris win the election. Trump’s legal team alleged that these articles and a book written by two reporters were all “carefully crafted” with “actual malice” to impair Trump’s candidacy and his reputation.
“Whatever the historical merit of this self-congratulation, the Times has betrayed the journalistic ideals of honesty, objectivity, and accuracy that it once professed,” the lawsuit reads. “Today, the Times is a full-throated mouthpiece of the Democrat Party. The newspaper’s editorial routine is now one of industrial-scale defamation and libel against political opponents. As such, the Times has become a leading, and unapologetic, purveyor of falsehoods against President Trump on the legacy media landscape.”
The defendants named in the suit are The New York Times Company, Susanne Craig, Russ Buettner, Peter Baker and Michael S. Schmidt. The book in question, “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success,” was written by Craig and Buettner. (RELATED: Trump Files Suit Against Murdoch Over WSJ Epstein Story)
Trump wrote on Truth Social that it is his “honor” to sue “one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers” in the country.
“Today, I have the Great Honor of bringing a $15 Billion Dollar Defamation and Libel Lawsuit against The New York Times, one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the History of our Country, becoming a virtual “mouthpiece” for the Radical Left Democrat Party. I view it as the single largest illegal Campaign contribution, EVER,” Trump wrote. “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.”
The lawsuit alleged that the book was attempting to smear Trump’s success on “The Apprentice” by inaccurately stating that executive producer Mark Burnett discovered Trump and made him a celebrity.
The suit pointed to the Times’ editorial board endorsing Harris in September 2024 and stated that Trump would “defy the norms and dismantle the institutions that have made our country strong.” It also accused an article from Oct. 20, 2024, titled, “For Trump, a Lifetime of Scandals Heads Toward a Moment of Judgement” and another from Oct. 22, 2024, titled, “As Election Nears, Kelly Warns Trump Would Rule Like a Dictator,” as being “malicious” and “defamatory.”
The lawsuit accused the Times and the reporters of having “falsified, distorted and manipulated facts” with the intention of defaming Trump.
A spokesperson for The Times told its own newspaper that the lawsuit “lacks any legitimate legal claims” and that it will not be “deterred by intimidation tactics.”
“This lawsuit has no merit,” the spokesperson said. “It lacks any legitimate legal claims and instead is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting. The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics. We will continue to pursue the facts without fear or favor and stand up for journalists’ First Amendment right to ask questions on behalf of the American people.”
CBS and its parent company, Paramount, agreed to pay a $36 million settlement to Trump to end a lawsuit relating to the editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with Harris. ABC News agreed to a $15 million settlement in December 2024 after Trump sued the network over host George Stephanopoulos’ false claim that the president was found liable of rape.
The Times also had to issue a correction on Thursday after it falsely stated that Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk made a claim about Jewish people “pushing the exact kind of hatred against whites” that they want people to stop using against them. Kirk was reading that quote from another person’s tweet and criticizing the statement.
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