U.S. president, Trump says he’ll sue New York Times for $15bn for defamation

US President Donald Trump said Monday September 15, that he is filing a $15 billion “defamation and libel lawsuit” against the New York Times.

“The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that the lawsuit was being brought in Florida.

Trump described the paper as a “virtual ‘mouthpiece’ for the Radical Left Democrat Party” and accused it of lying about his “family, business, the America First Movement, MAGA, and our Nation as a whole.” He provided no evidence to support the claims.

The Times recently reported that Trump had threatened legal action over articles concerning a lewd birthday note allegedly given to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The U.S. president has, however, denied writing the note.

In July, Trump sued media mogul Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal for at least $10 billion after it published an article about his friendship with Epstein.

That same month, Paramount settled a lawsuit Trump filed over election coverage on CBS News’ 60 Minutes for $16 million. He alleged the program deceptively edited an interview with his 2024 election rival, Kamala Harris, in her favor.