U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday, September 15, that he is filing a $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times for what he described as “defamation and libel.”
Trump wrote on his Truth Social account that the newspaper had been allowed to “lie, smear, and defame” him for too long. He said the legal case is being filed in Florida.
The President accused the New York Times of acting as a tool for the Democratic Party. He also claimed the paper lied about his family, businesses, his political movement, and the nation itself, but he gave no evidence to back up his accusations.
The lawsuit comes after the New York Times published reports that Trump threatened legal action over articles about a controversial birthday note allegedly written to Jeffrey Epstein. Trump has denied ever writing the note.
This is not the first time Trump has taken legal action against media houses. In July, he filed a $10 billion lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal over a story linking him to Epstein.
Also, that same month, Paramount reached a $16 million settlement with Trump after he sued over CBS News’ 60 Minutes coverage. Trump had claimed the program edited an interview to favor his election rival, Kamala Harris.
