U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event to sign a memorandum to send federal resources to Memphis, Tennessee, for a surge against local crime, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Sept. 15, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday filed a $15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times, alleging defamation and libel, and calling the newspaper a “mouthpiece” for the Democratic Party.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump attacked the newspaper for being “a virtual ‘mouthpiece’ for the Radical Left Democratic Party,” while accusing it of making false statements about him, his family and business, without elaborating on the allegations.
“The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!” Trump said.
A spokesperson for the Times said Trump’s lawsuit “lacks any legitimate legal claims and instead is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting.”
“The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics. We will continue to pursue the facts without fear or favor and stand up for journalists’ First Amendment right to ask questions on behalf of the American people,” the spokesperson told NBC News in a statement.
The lawsuit suit has been brought in the state of Florida, according to a court filing.
Last week, Trump had threatened to sue the Times for its reporting on a sexually aggressive note and drawing that was given to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and appeared to have been signed by Trump. Epstein was charged as a sex offender and died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019.
The White House has denied Trump was involved in the creation of the note, calling it a fabrication.
The president has initiated a flurry of defamation lawsuits against media companies, accusing them of false or misleading coverage.
In the post Monday, he mentioned his suits against ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos, as well as Paramount over its “60 Minutes” interview with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris — which Trump alleged was brought in due to the network’s “deceptive tampering” of Harris’ interview.
Those cases ended in $15 million and $16 million settlement payments, respectively.
Trump has also brought a $10 billion defamation suit against The Wall Street Journal for its article linking him to the Epstein note.
The Journal’s article said that the letter purportedly written by Trump to Epstein in 2003 was among documents reviewed by criminal investigators who ultimately built criminal cases against Epstein and his convicted procurer, Ghislaine Maxwell, who reportedly solicited the letter from the president.
Some news organizations have also sought legal actions to push back against Trump over what they called retaliatory actions and encroachment of press freedoms.
— CNBC’s Dan Mangan and Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.
