President Donald Trump says The New York Times published content with ‘actual malice, calculated to inflict maximum damage’ on him.
President Donald Trump filed a $15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times and its reporters on Sept. 15, accusing the newspaper of defamation.
Trump filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Florida over articles and a book written by two New York Times reporters published during the height of the 2024 election, alleging they were crafted with “actual malice, calculated to inflict maximum damage” on him.
“Defendants maliciously published the book and the articles knowing that these publications were filled with repugnant distortions and fabrications about President Trump,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit also named book publisher Penguin Random House as one of the defendants.
The New York Times and Penguin Random House did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
Trump announced the lawsuit in a Truth Social post, saying The New York Times had become “a virtual mouthpiece for the radical left Democrat Party,” citing its endorsement of then-Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Their Endorsement of Kamala Harris was actually put dead center on the front page of The New York Times, something heretofore UNHEARD OF,” he stated.
Trump accused The New York Times of spreading lies about him, his family, his businesses, the America First Movement, MAGA (Make America Great Again), and the nation as a whole.
“The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW,” the president stated in his post.
In his post, Trump also referenced previous lawsuits he filed against ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos, and another against Paramount and CBS. Both cases were settled for “record amounts,” he said.
The first case stemmed from Trump’s allegations that Stephanopoulos defamed him when stating, during an interview, that a federal jury found Trump liable for rape.
ABC News and Stephanopoulos subsequently agreed to a settlement, which included a $15 million charitable contribution, $1 million for Trump’s attorney fees, and a formal apology.
