Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, several reporters, and Penguin Random House, accusing them of malicious reporting.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has filed a new defamation and libel lawsuit against The New York Times, five of its reporters, and Penguin Random House, demanding at least $15 billion in damages.
In the 85-page complaint lodged late Monday in Florida, Trump accused the Times of running “a decades-long pattern” of malicious reporting aimed at damaging his reputation and political career. The suit also targets reporters Susanne Craig, Russ Buettner, Peter Baker, Michael S. Schmidt, and the publisher of Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created The Illusion of Success.
“The newspaper’s editorial routine is now one of industrial-scale defamation and libel against political opponents,” the filing alleges. Trump further blasted the Times on Truth Social, declaring, “The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!”
This comes after Trump secured multimillion-dollar settlements from Disney/ABC and Paramount/CBS earlier this year. However, his legal battles with the Times have historically been unsuccessful. A 2021 case over reporting on his tax schemes was dismissed in 2023.
Trump is also pursuing a $10 billion suit against The Wall Street Journal over its coverage of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
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