Trump files $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times

US President Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, alleging the newspaper acted as a "mouthpiece" for the Democratic Party and published false and damaging information about him.

The lawsuit was filed by Trump's legal team on Monday night in a district court in Florida. In the filing, Trump accuses The Times of spreading "knowingly false and defamatory statements" and claims the publication has aligned itself with the Democratic Party in an attempt to harm his personal and political reputation.

“This is part of a long-running effort by The New York Times to smear me, my family, my businesses, and the movement I represent,” Trump stated. He also described the paper’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 election as an “illegal campaign contribution.”

The complaint centers on several articles and the book “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Built a False Tale of Success” by Times journalists Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner. Trump’s legal team argues that the book and related reports were published with the intent to damage his public image.

This case adds to a growing list of defamation and media-related lawsuits brought by Trump in recent years. He previously filed suits against The Wall Street Journal, ABC News, and Paramount. The cases against ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos and Paramount were reportedly settled for $15 million and $16 million, respectively. The lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal remains ongoing.

While Trump has not presented extensive evidence in the current case, his attorneys claim that The Times has engaged in a "coordinated campaign of disinformation" stretching back decades.

The New York Times has not yet issued a public response to the lawsuit.

This is not Trump’s first legal action against the publication. In 2016, he sued over an opinion column related to Russian interference in the presidential election, but the court dismissed the case, ruling the column was protected under free speech. A separate lawsuit filed in 2018 over investigative reports on his family’s finances was thrown out by a New York court in 2023.

Trump is now seeking $15 billion in damages.