President Donald Trump’s ongoing campaign against the media and free speech continues with a new defamation lawsuit against The New York Times. The lawsuit accuses the outlet of running articles ahead of the 2024 election that were “specifically designed to try and damage President Trump’s business, personal and political reputation.” Defendants listed on the suit include the NYT, four of its reporters, and Penguin Random House, which published a book by two of the reporters called Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune And Created The Illusion Of Success. The suit seeks $15 billion in damages, “which exceeds the entire market cap of The New York Times Company,” per CNN.
The lawsuit contains a laundry list of complaints regarding several articles and the book. For instance, it argues that Lucky Loser inaccurately states that The Apprentice executive producer Mark Burnett made Trump famous, when he was actually already “a mega-celebrity and an enormous success in business.” The filing also takes issue with the outlet’s endorsement of Kamala Harris: “I view it as the single largest illegal Campaign, EVER,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, noting that the endorsement “was actually put dead center on the front page of The New York Times, something heretofore UNHEARD OF!”
Of course neither an endorsement nor its placement fit the definition of defamation. But Trump has seen some success in bullying media entities into accepting “his view.” He sued ABC, which settled and forced George Stephanopoulos to apologize. 60 Minutes didn’t apologize when Trump sued the show, but CBS also paid out a hefty settlement and Paramount is installing a right-wing ombudsman to monitor CBS News for “bias.” But perhaps the buck will stop with The New York Times. In a statement, a spokesperson for the outlet said, “This lawsuit has no merit. It 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.”
