Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
The U.S. President files a 15 billion dollar defamation lawsuit in Florida against the New York Times and four of its journalists, accusing the paper of decades of malicious slander following the publication of a letter allegedly linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
President of the United States Donald Trump announced today (Tuesday) that he has filed a defamation lawsuit in the astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars against the 'New York Times' and four of its journalists.
The lawsuit, submitted to a Florida court yesterday, cites several articles and a book authored by two of the newspaper’s reporters that were published during the 2024 presidential campaign.
According to Trump, these are defamatory documents that form part of 'a decades-long pattern of malicious and deliberate defamation' against him by the 'New York Times.'
Trump’s lawyers argue in the lawsuit that the journalists who published the articles and book did so knowing their statements were false, or acted recklessly and negligently in verifying their accuracy.
The 'New York Times' responded that the lawsuit is baseless: 'It contains no legitimate legal claim, and its sole purpose is to silence and intimidate independent journalism.
The New York Times will not yield to such intimidation tactics.
We will continue to pursue the truth fearlessly and without bias, and to defend the right of the press—enshrined in the First Amendment—to ask questions on behalf of the American people.'
Publishing house Penguin Random House, which released the book mentioned in Trump’s lawsuit, a book dealing in part with the sources of his wealth, also stated that the claim is unfounded.
President Trump announced the filing of the lawsuit in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, accusing the 'New York Times' of effectively becoming a 'mouthpiece' for the Democratic Party, which he labeled the 'radical left.' He wrote: 'For too long, the New York Times has been allowed to lie, smear, and slander me freely, and this stops now!'
Trump had already threatened last week to sue the 'New York Times' after it published articles about a crude congratulatory letter he allegedly wrote in 2003 to billionaire and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein for his birthday, which included a drawing of a naked woman.
Trump later asserted that the signature on the letter was not his, but the 'New York Times' stood by its claim and published other letters signed by Trump in the 1990s and early 2000s, where the signature closely resembled the one on the 2003 letter to Epstein.
Trump’s lawsuit against the 'New York Times' follows a 10 billion dollar defamation lawsuit he filed in July against the 'Wall Street Journal' and media magnate Rupert Murdoch, after the paper revealed the existence of the Epstein letter.
Trump has also threatened other media outlets, hinting that he may seek to revoke the broadcasting licenses of ABC and NBC news networks for what he described as biased coverage against him.
The President declared that these networks 'are arms of the Democratic Party, and according to many, their licenses should be revoked.'
The 'New York Times,' founded in 1851 and associated in the U.S. with the center-left camp, has won 130 Pulitzer Prizes over the years.
In the last election, the newspaper endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
After encountering financial difficulties in the early 2000s, the paper developed a profitable economic model over the past two decades based on digital subscription fees, generating revenues exceeding two billion dollars in 2024.
The lawsuit, submitted to a Florida court yesterday, cites several articles and a book authored by two of the newspaper’s reporters that were published during the 2024 presidential campaign.
According to Trump, these are defamatory documents that form part of 'a decades-long pattern of malicious and deliberate defamation' against him by the 'New York Times.'
Trump’s lawyers argue in the lawsuit that the journalists who published the articles and book did so knowing their statements were false, or acted recklessly and negligently in verifying their accuracy.
The 'New York Times' responded that the lawsuit is baseless: 'It contains no legitimate legal claim, and its sole purpose is to silence and intimidate independent journalism.
The New York Times will not yield to such intimidation tactics.
We will continue to pursue the truth fearlessly and without bias, and to defend the right of the press—enshrined in the First Amendment—to ask questions on behalf of the American people.'
Publishing house Penguin Random House, which released the book mentioned in Trump’s lawsuit, a book dealing in part with the sources of his wealth, also stated that the claim is unfounded.
President Trump announced the filing of the lawsuit in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, accusing the 'New York Times' of effectively becoming a 'mouthpiece' for the Democratic Party, which he labeled the 'radical left.' He wrote: 'For too long, the New York Times has been allowed to lie, smear, and slander me freely, and this stops now!'
Trump had already threatened last week to sue the 'New York Times' after it published articles about a crude congratulatory letter he allegedly wrote in 2003 to billionaire and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein for his birthday, which included a drawing of a naked woman.
Trump later asserted that the signature on the letter was not his, but the 'New York Times' stood by its claim and published other letters signed by Trump in the 1990s and early 2000s, where the signature closely resembled the one on the 2003 letter to Epstein.
Trump’s lawsuit against the 'New York Times' follows a 10 billion dollar defamation lawsuit he filed in July against the 'Wall Street Journal' and media magnate Rupert Murdoch, after the paper revealed the existence of the Epstein letter.
Trump has also threatened other media outlets, hinting that he may seek to revoke the broadcasting licenses of ABC and NBC news networks for what he described as biased coverage against him.
The President declared that these networks 'are arms of the Democratic Party, and according to many, their licenses should be revoked.'
The 'New York Times,' founded in 1851 and associated in the U.S. with the center-left camp, has won 130 Pulitzer Prizes over the years.
In the last election, the newspaper endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
After encountering financial difficulties in the early 2000s, the paper developed a profitable economic model over the past two decades based on digital subscription fees, generating revenues exceeding two billion dollars in 2024.
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