Trump hits NYT with $15B suit, escalates Epstein report war

U.S. President Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and four of its journalists, accusing them of publishing false and damaging claims in the run-up to the 2024 election. The case, lodged in federal court in Florida, cites multiple articles and a book authored by Times reporters, which Trump says were part of a “decades-long pattern of intentional and malicious defamation.”

According to the court filing, the journalists acted “negligently, with knowledge of falsity, or with reckless disregard” for the truth. Trump argues the Times has systematically targeted him and amplified narratives designed to erode his public image.

In a Truth Social post announcing the lawsuit, Trump blasted the Times as “a virtual mouthpiece for the Radical Left Democrat Party,” insisting the paper has long sought to discredit him. The Times has not yet issued a comment.

This latest legal offensive intensifies Trump’s ongoing war with major media outlets. In July, he filed a $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and its owner Rupert Murdoch, alleging defamation over a report connecting him to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Trump claims both the Journal and the Times have colluded in portraying him in false and scandalous terms, which he insists are politically motivated attacks.

The lawsuit underscores Trump’s strategy of taking aggressive legal action against outlets he believes misrepresent him—a tactic he has pursued throughout his political career. Whether the case will succeed remains uncertain, as U.S. courts traditionally set a high bar for proving defamation against public figures.For now, Trump appears determined to turn his clashes with the press into another high-stakes battle, with billions on the line.