U.S. President Donald Trump announced Monday evening that he is filing a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times (NYSE: NYT), accusing the newspaper of bias and unlawful support for Democrats. In a social media post, Trump called the Times a “mouthpiece for the Radical Left Democrat Party,” and criticized its endorsement of 2024 Democratic candidate Kamala Harris as “the single largest illegal campaign contribution, EVER.”
Trump said the lawsuit, filed in Florida, aims to stop what he described as years of lies and defamation. He highlighted past litigation against Disney’s ABC and Paramount’s CBS, claiming both cases were settled in his favor.
The lawsuit follows Trump’s threat last week to sue the Times over articles linking him to Jeffrey Epstein, citing a suggestive note and drawing allegedly gifted in 2003. In July, he also filed a $10 billion suit against the Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, and Rupert Murdoch over reporting on his alleged Epstein ties.
The president has long criticized mainstream media, particularly the New York Times, for what he calls politically motivated coverage. In 2006, he sued Times journalist Timothy O’Brien for reporting in TrumpNation that Trump’s net worth was far lower than claimed. That $5 billion case was dismissed in 2009.
Trump’s latest legal action underscores his strategy of aggressively confronting news outlets he accuses of bias. With the 2024 election approaching, the lawsuit is poised to intensify the clash between Trump and major media organizations.