New York Times Faces $15 Billion Trump Lawsuit Over Alleged Smears

US President Donald Trump announced Monday that he has filed a $15 billion defamation and libel lawsuit against The New York Times.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump accused the newspaper of spreading falsehoods against him for years. “The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!” he wrote, saying the case was lodged in Florida. AFP said it had reached out to the Times for comment.

The president described the publication as a “mouthpiece for the Radical Left Democrat Party,” alleging it had lied about his family, businesses, political movement, and the United States. He offered no evidence to support his claims.

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Trump’s announcement comes days after the paper reported he had threatened legal action over articles linking him to a lewd birthday note given to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein—an allegation Trump has denied.

Since returning to the White House, Trump has escalated his attacks on mainstream media, often clashing with journalists critical of his administration while pursuing a series of high-profile lawsuits.

In July, he filed a $10 billion lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal over reporting on his ties to Epstein. That same month, Paramount paid $16 million to settle a case brought by Trump, who alleged CBS News’ 60 Minutes had deceptively edited an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 campaign.