Trump to file $15bn defamation, libel suit against NYT over Epstein reports

The US president has cited the reputational harm caused by the newspaper’s sum of his narration with Epstein.

United States President Donald Trump has said helium is bringing a $15bn “defamation and libel lawsuit” against The New York Times (NYT) implicit its sum of his household and governmental movement, and cited reputational harm implicit the newspaper’s reporting regarding his narration with disgraced financier and enactment offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame maine for acold excessively long, and that stops, NOW!” Trump wrote connected his Truth Social level connected Monday, adding the suit was being lodged successful Florida’s territory court.

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Trump’s suit cites a bid of NYT articles, including an editorial written earlier the 2024 statesmanlike election, which said helium was unfit for office.

Trump decried the paper arsenic a “virtual ‘mouthpiece’ for the Radical Left Democrat Party” and accused it of lying astir his “family, business, the America First Movement, MAGA, and our Nation arsenic a whole”. He did not supply immoderate grounds for his claims.

US steadfast Penguin Random House was besides cited successful the suit for a publication it published successful 2024 titled Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success.

“Defendants maliciously published the Book and the Articles knowing that these publications were filled with repugnant distortions and fabrications astir President Trump,” Trump’s lawyers wrote successful the filing.

The publications person harmed Trump’s concern and idiosyncratic reputation, causing important economical harm to his marque worth and aboriginal fiscal prospects, according to the filing.

Al Jazeera contacted NYT for comment, but had not yet received a effect astatine the clip of publication.

Penguin Random House did not instantly respond to a petition for remark from the Reuters quality agency.

Trump’s announcement comes a week aft the NYT reported that Trump had threatened ineligible enactment against it successful narration to articles connected an allegedly sexually suggestive day enactment fixed to Epstein, who died by suicide successful a New York jailhouse compartment successful 2019.

The Republican president has denied authoring the note, saying helium parted ways with Epstein earlier the financier’s ineligible troubles became nationalist successful 2006.

Trump has intensified his attacks connected accepted mainstream media since his instrumentality to the White House, repeatedly denigrating journalists captious of his administration, restricting entree and bringing lawsuits.

He sued media magnate Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal for astatine slightest $10bn successful July aft the work of an nonfiction astir his relationship with Epstein.

Paramount settled Trump’s suit implicit predetermination coverage connected CBS News’ flagship amusement 60 Minutes for $16m the aforesaid month. He had alleged that the programme deceptively edited an interrogation with his 2024 predetermination rival, Kamala Harris, successful her favour.

ABC News besides agreed to wage $15m implicit inaccurate on-air comments made by anchor George Stephanopoulos that Trump had been “found liable for raping” writer E Jean Carroll. Trump had been recovered liable for intersexual maltreatment – a antithetic transgression from rape nether New York instrumentality – successful a 2023 lawsuit filed by Carroll.

Trump is besides taking enactment against different media whose sum helium opposes, including The Associated Press quality agency, which was barred from the White House excavation and from travelling connected his authorities level aft refusing to follow his renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America”.