Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times in federal court in Florida.
Trump claims that the newspaper and four of its journalists intentionally published false and damaging content, alleging it was part of a long-standing campaign against him.
The lawsuit highlights multiple articles and a book authored by two Times reporters. The filing describes the reporting as part of a “decades-long pattern by The New York Times of intentional and malicious defamation against President Trump.”
ABC News reported that the legal complaint contends the journalists “published such statements negligently, with knowledge of the falsity of the statements, and/or with reckless disregard of their truth or falsity.”
Trump announced the lawsuit on his Truth Social account, writing that The New York Times had become “a virtual ‘mouthpiece’ for the Radical Left Democrat Party.”
Legal experts note that defamation lawsuits involving public figures are difficult to win because plaintiffs must demonstrate “actual malice,” proving that the publisher either knew the statements were false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. The $15 billion claim ranks among the largest defamation demands Trump has filed against a news organization.
The lawsuit is part of Trump’s ongoing campaign against media outlets he frequently labels “fake news.”
