President Donald Trump announced late Monday that he has filed a $15 billion defamation and libel lawsuit against The New York Times, accusing the newspaper of decades of falsehoods and of acting as a partisan "mouthpiece for the Radical Left Democrat Party."
In a social media post, Trump described suing the paper as a "great honor" and said the Times had become "one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the History of our Country." He said the suit will be brought in Florida, where he often resides at his Mar-a-Lago estate, and tied the legal action to recent Times reporting about his alleged ties to financier Jeffrey Epstein and a sexually suggestive note and drawing that the paper published. Trump has denied writing the note and has previously threatened legal action over the reporting.
Trump's post also accused the Times of providing what he called "the single largest illegal Campaign contribution, EVER," citing the paper's Sept. 30 editorial endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris. The Times editorial board described Harris as "the only patriotic choice" and said Mr. Trump was "morally unfit" and "temperamentally unfit" to serve as president, language the announcement cited in arguing a partisan motive.
The new suit follows a string of high-profile legal actions the president has pursued against news organizations. In July, Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and media owner Rupert Murdoch over reporting about a birthday note he allegedly wrote for Epstein, a story Trump called "false, malicious, and defamatory." Trump also referenced litigation against major networks and said those outlets had settled previously; he pointed to a recent reported settlement with Paramount related to a CBS interview, which he said paid him $16 million.
Legal experts note that defamation claims by public figures face a significant legal threshold set by Supreme Court precedent, which requires proof that a publisher acted with "actual malice" — that is, with knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for the truth. The Florida venue for the lawsuit may reflect the president's residence and habitual legal strategy in recent media-related suits, but litigation over national news reporting typically raises complex questions about jurisdiction, First Amendment protections and the standards applied in defamation cases.
The Times' recent reporting on Epstein-related material included accounts and documents that the newspaper said raised questions about interactions and communications involving Mr. Trump and individuals around Epstein. In his announcement, Trump accused the paper of engaging 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." He likened the case to earlier lawsuits he says forced settlements from other media organizations.
The New York Times did not immediately comment on the lawsuit. Court filings have not been made public as of Tuesday morning, and it was not clear which specific Times articles or statements the complaint identifies as defamatory or what categories of damages Trump seeks to support the $15 billion figure.
High-dollar defamation suits against national news organizations have a mixed history in U.S. courts; some proceed to discovery, others are dismissed on motions asserting First Amendment protections, and some are resolved in settlements. Observers said the coming weeks will likely show whether the suit advances in Florida courts, is moved to federal court, or prompts pretrial motions that test the pleading's specificity and legal sufficiency.
Trump's announcement adds to ongoing tensions between the president and major news organizations as his legal team pursues multiple cases over news coverage. The litigation arrives amid a broader political backdrop in which media portrayals and endorsements continue to play a prominent role in the 2025-2026 campaign cycle.
Further developments, including the filing of the complaint and any response from The New York Times, are expected to clarify the specific allegations and the legal theories the president's lawyers will advance in the Florida courtroom.