The New York Times on Tuesday criticised a $15 billion defamation lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump as a brazen attempt to silence independent reporting.
“This lawsuit has no merit,” the paper said. “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.”
Trump has filed the lawsuit against The New York Times, accusing the newspaper of a “decades-long pattern” of smears driven by “actual malice.”
The 79-year-old Trump cited three articles published between September and October 2024 and a book by Times reporters Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig, claiming the outlet “intentionally and maliciously” defamed him. The lawsuit, filed Monday in the US District Court for Florida’s Middle District, also names four Times reporters and publisher Penguin Random House as defendants.
Repeated clashes with the media
Trump has repeatedly clashed with the media since returning to the White House, suing outlets he accuses of bias. Last week, the Times reported that Trump threatened legal action over articles about a lewd birthday note allegedly sent to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which Trump denies authoring.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!”
The complaint asks the court to award at least $15 billion in compensatory damages, plus additional punitive damages to be determined at trial. Trump alleges the Times deviated from standard journalistic practices, publishing articles “in the most antagonistic and negative way” without allowing him adequate time to respond.
