
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">President Donald J. Trump announced that he is launching a $15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times over its allegedly slanted reporting and commentary on him. The suit, filed in a Florida court, accuses the Times of being “a full-throated mouthpiece of the Democrat Party” and cites a series of articles, including the paper’s front-page endorsement of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the lead-up to the 2024 election.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trump said in a post on Truth Social the “degenerate” Times had “engaged in a decades long method of lying about your Favorite President (ME!), my family, business, the America First Movement, MAGA, and our Nation as a whole.”</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!” he added.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trump’s suit names The New York Times Company, four of the publication’s reporters — Susanne Craig, Russ Buettner, Peter Baker and Michael S. Schmidt — and Penguin Random House, which published a book titled “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success,” written by Craig and Buettner, that the legal filing calls “false, malicious, and defamatory.”</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After referring to the Times as “one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the History of our Country,” The President continued:</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;I am PROUD to hold this once respected &#8216;rag&#8217; responsible, as we are doing with the Fake News Networks such as our successful litigation against George Slopadopoulos/ABC/Disney, and 60 Minutes/CBS/Paramount, who knew that they were falsely ‘smearing’ me through a highly sophisticated system of document and visual alteration, which was, in effect, a malicious form of defamation, and thus, settled for record amounts. They practiced this longterm INTENT and pattern of abuse, which is both unacceptable and illegal. The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW! The suit is being brought in the Great State of Florida. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!&#8221;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The New York Times released a statement Tuesday calling the lawsuit meritless and an intimidation tactic.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;This lawsuit has no merit,&#8221; a spokesperson said. &#8220;It lacks any legitimate legal claims and instead is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting. The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics. We will continue to pursue the facts without fear or favor and stand up for journalists&#8217; First Amendment right to ask questions on behalf of the American people.&#8221;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The 85-page lawsuit called the Harris endorsement &#8220;deranged&#8221; and also said &#8220;Lucky Loser&#8221; was a false and defamatory book. In 2023, a judge dismissed a lawsuit that Trump brought against the New York Times in 2021 for its prior reporting on his finances and claims he&#8217;d engaged in suspect tax maneuvers.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In July, Paramount agreed to settle a $20 billion lawsuit filed by Trump over an interview with former Vice President Harris on the CBS news program &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; that the president said was deceptively edited, paying him $16 million.</p>

Trump Sues “Degenerate” NY Times for $15 Billion
