Trump sues The New York Times for defamation and libel, seeks $15 billion

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he is bringing a $15 billion "defamation and libel lawsuit" against the New York Times.

"The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!" he wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding the lawsuit was being brought in Florida.
AFP has contacted the New York Times for comment.

Trump decried the newspaper as a "virtual 'mouthpiece' for the Radical Left Democrat Party" and accused it of lying about his "family, business, the America First Movement, MAGA, and our Nation as a whole."
He provided no evidence for his claims.

The news outlet reported last week that Trump had threatened legal action against it in relation to articles on a lewd birthday note given to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Republican president has denied authoring the note.

Trump has intensified his attacks on traditional media since his return to the White House, repeatedly badmouthing journalists critical of his administration, restricting access and bringing lawsuits.

He sued media magnate Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal for at least $10 billion in July after it published an article about his friendship with Epstein.

Paramount settled Trump's lawsuit over election coverage on CBS News' flagship show "60 Minutes" for $16 million the same month. He had alleged that the program deceptively edited an interview with his 2024 election rival, Kamala Harris, in her favour.

Agence France-Presse