Key points
- Claims defamation over Epstein report
- Says Times smeared family
- Lawsuit filed in Florida court
WASHINGTON, United States: US President Donald Trump said he is bringing a $15 billion “defamation and libel lawsuit” against the New York Times.
“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 on Monday, adding the lawsuit was being brought in Florida.
NEWS: Trump has filed a $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times, a few of their writers, and Penguin Random House, seemingly because they published things about him he didn’t like. pic.twitter.com/xODczDrBj1
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) September 16, 2025
New York Times has yet not replied on Trumps accusations, after AFP asked for comments.
Trump decried the newspaper as a “virtual ‘mouthpiece’ for the Radical Left Democrat Party” and accused it of lying about his “family, business, the America First Movement, MAGA, and our Nation as a whole.”
He provided no evidence for his claims, the French news agency said.
The news outlet reported last week that Trump had threatened legal action against it in relation to articles on a lewd birthday note given to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Attacks on traditional media
The Republican president has denied authoring the note.
Trump has intensified his attacks on traditional media since his return to the White House, repeatedly badmouthing journalists critical of his administration, restricting access, and bringing lawsuits.
President Donald Trump said he has filed a $15 billion defamation and libel lawsuit against The New York Times, accusing the paper of serving as a “mouthpiece” for the Democrats https://t.co/a6JyLENcUm
📷: Samuel Corum/ Sipa/Bloomberg pic.twitter.com/ayCBp4XyNL
— Bloomberg (@business) September 16, 2025
He sued media magnate Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal for at least $10 billion in July after it published an article about his friendship with 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 favor.
