In yet another clash with America&rsquo;s media giants, U.S. President Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, four of its reporters, and publisher Penguin Random House. The suit, lodged in a Florida court, claims the outlets engaged in malicious attacks that have tarnished his personal reputation, political legacy, and even his business empire.
The filing points to a series of New York Times articles and a Penguin-published 2024 book, Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father&rsquo;s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success. Trump&rsquo;s lawyers argue that the publications were filled with &ldquo;repugnant distortions and fabrications&rdquo; and published with full knowledge that they would inflict reputational and financial harm.
&ldquo;Defendants maliciously published the Book and the Articles knowing that these publications were filled with repugnant distortions and fabrications about President Trump,&rdquo; the filing states.
Trump has tied the alleged damage directly to his business interests, pointing to losses in the stock value of Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG). &ldquo;The harm to the value of TMTG stock is one example of how the Defendants&rsquo; defamation has injured President Trump,&rdquo; his lawyers wrote, noting the company&rsquo;s share price has faced steep declines in recent months.
The lawsuit comes just days after Trump threatened legal action over New York Times reporting on allegedly suggestive notes linked to Jeffrey Epstein, a disgraced financier who died in jail in 2019. Trump has consistently denied any ongoing ties with Epstein, saying he distanced himself from him years before his legal troubles began.
In a fiery rant on Truth Social, Trump doubled down, calling the New York Times &ldquo;the worst and most degenerate newspaper in American history&rdquo; and accusing it of becoming a &ldquo;mouthpiece for the radical left Democrat Party.&rdquo; He argued the paper had been lying about him, his family, and movements like MAGA and America First,&nbsp;for decades.
This lawsuit is not an isolated battle. Trump has repeatedly targeted major news outlets he claims distort coverage against him. Earlier this year, he sued the Wall Street Journal and its parent companies, including Rupert Murdoch, seeking $10 billion over a report that tied his name to a 2003 birthday greeting for Epstein.
In July, Trump also forced a settlement with CBS parent Paramount over allegations that 60 Minutes deceptively edited an interview with then Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. He has touted that case as a &ldquo;successful litigation&rdquo; against the &ldquo;fake news media.&rdquo;
For Trump, the lawsuits form part of a broader strategy to frame himself as a victim of media persecution while rallying his base against the &ldquo;radical left.&rdquo; For his critics, they are seen as attempts to silence the press ahead of another contentious election season.
Either way, the courtroom showdown with the Times and Penguin promises to be one of Trump&rsquo;s most consequential media battles yet, one that pits the presidency against some of America&rsquo;s most powerful publishers.

President accuses media, publishers of decades of lies, bias, and damage to his brand

Trump Slaps $15B Suit on NYT, Penguin

President accuses media, publishers of decades of lies, bias, and damage to his brand

September 16, 2025 | 13:14 IST