Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, four of its journalists, and publisher Penguin Random House, alleging they damaged his reputation and business interests through false and malicious reporting.
Filed in federal court in Tampa, Florida, the suit focuses on Times articles and the book Lucky Loser, which Trump claims contained defamatory material, including what he calls a fabricated link between him and a note and drawing allegedly gifted to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. Trump denies any connection.
The complaint accuses the Times of misrepresenting his celebrity status, business record and family background, and of acting as a partisan “mouthpiece” for Democrats during the 2024 presidential election, which Trump lost to Kamala Harris. It also claims the coverage contributed to a sharp fall in the stock value of Trump Media and Technology Group.
On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump called the Times “one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the History of our Country,” accusing it of lying and defaming him for years. He framed the lawsuit as part of a broader fight against political attacks on him and the MAGA movement.
The New York Times dismissed the lawsuit as meritless and said it stands by the accuracy of its reporting.
Trump has previously sued media outlets, including ABC News and CBS, securing settlements he said proved a pattern of bias. He also has an outstanding case against The Wall Street Journal relating to revelations about his relationship with the dead paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
