A federal judge has granted former President Donald Trump's legal team an opportunity to amend his $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times. Trump announced the development on his Truth Social platform, calling the judge "highly respected" and stating the updated complaint will detail "all the ways in which The Times has repeatedly and consistently acted, with actual malice in defaming me, my family, our Great MAGA Movement, and America, itself."
Trump's attorneys have until August 27 to file the amended lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Florida’s Middle District in Tampa. The original suit alleged decades of defamation and libel by the Times, citing coverage on topics ranging from "The Apprentice" to reporting on Trump's tax practices.
The defendants named in the lawsuit include The New York Times Company, reporters Susanne Craig, Russ Buettner, Peter Baker, and Michael S. Schmidt, as well as Penguin Random House, publisher of the book "Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success" by Craig and Buettner.
A spokesperson for The New York Times previously stated that the lawsuit "has no merit" and is an attempt "to stifle independent reporting and generate PR attention." The Times has asserted it will "not be deterred by intimidation tactics."