Trump Slaps New York Times With $15 Billion Defamation Suit — Here's Why
The lawsuit has been filed in Florida, Trump's official state of residence and governed by the Republican Party.
US President Donald Trump sued the New York Times newspaper for $15 billion, alleging defamation and libel. He called the renowned newspaper "a virtual mouthpiece" for the opposition Democratic Party.
The lawsuit has been filed in Florida, Trump's official state of residence which is governed by the Republican Party. The amount he's seeking exceeds the market capitalization of The New York Times Co., which currently stands at about $9.65 billion, according to Bloomberg.
"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," Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday.
The president said the NYT ran an "illegal campaign" to endorse his 2024 election opponent Kamal Harris.
"The “Times” has 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. I am PROUD to hold this once respected “rag” responsible, as we are doing with the Fake News Networks (sic)," he said.
'Fake News' Media
Donald Trump has long complained about the coverage and commentary he has received from large US media outlets like Paramount Global-owned CBS news network and Walt Disney Co.'s ABC. He has alleged smear campaigns against him through a "highly sophisticated system of document and visual alteration".
In July, Paramount Global settled a lawsuit with Trump that alleged election interference by CBS when it showed two different versions of a 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris in October.
In December, ABC agreed to give $15 million to Trump's future presidential foundation or museum. That case stemmed from allegations that one of the network’s anchors had defamed the president-elect while characterizing a past court verdict against him, as per local media reports.
Trump referenced those settlements in his latest post, claiming “longterm INTENT and pattern of abuse, which is both unacceptable and illegal.”
