Trump files $15bn lawsuit against New York Times for defamation

US President Donald Trump filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times on Monday, accusing the outlet of a “decades-long pattern” of smears driven by feelings of “actual malice.”

Trump, 79, has intensified his long-established hostility toward the media since his return to the White House, repeatedly badmouthing journalists critical of his administration, restricting access and bringing lawsuits.

The Times reported last week that Trump had threatened legal action against it in relation to its articles on a lewd birthday note allegedly given to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Republican president has denied authoring the note.

“The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

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The lawsuit also named four New York Times reporters and the publisher Penguin Random House as defendants, according to an 85-page complaint filed in the US District Court for Florida’s Middle District.

The document cited three articles that came out between September and October last year, and a book by reporters Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig, also published around that time.

“The Book and Articles are part of a decades-long pattern by the New York Times of intentional and malicious defamation against President Trump,” read the complaint, which was dated Monday.

“The Times has become a leading, and unapologetic, purveyor of falsehoods against President Trump on the legacy media landscape.”

The New York Times did not immediately return AFP’s request for comment.

Trump’s lawsuit alleged that the Times deviated from its typical journalistic patterns and industry best practices when covering him, such as writing articles “in the most antagonistic and negative way” and not giving him sufficient time to respond before publishing.

“Put bluntly, Defendants baselessly hate President Trump in a deranged way,” the complaint read.

The court was asked to grant compensatory damages of not less than $15 billion and additional punitive damages “in an amount to be determined upon trial.”

In July, Trump sued media magnate Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal for at least $10 billion after it reported on the existence of a book and a letter he allegedly sent to Epstein.

Paramount settled Trump’s lawsuit over election coverage on CBS News’ flagship show “60 Minutes” for $16 million the same month. He had alleged that the program deceptively edited an interview with his 2024 election rival, Kamala Harris, in her favour.