By Sunita D
US President Donald Trump, on Monday announced his plan to file a $15 defamation lawsuit against New York Times and four of it’s Journalists, accusing the paper for being a “mouthpiece for Democrats” and of waging a decade-long “campaign of lies” against him.
In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed that the Newspaper has engaged in years of false reporting against him leading to harm to his reputation, his family and his business.
His decision comes after a report by NYT linked Trump to a controversial handwritten note and a drawing which was given to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, appearing to have been signed by Mr. Trump. The note was released by Congress last week.
After Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer wrote to The New York Times on September 9, 2025, claiming that the article and signature are evidence of “malicious fabrication” and threatening to sue the newspaper for $10 billion lawsuits, a spokeswoman for The New York Times, Danielle Rhoades Ha, responded saying, “Our journalists reported the facts, provided the visual evidence and printed the president’s denial. Everything is there for the American people to view and to make up their own minds about.”
“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,” she added.
Over the past few years, Trump has filed multiple lawsuits against The New York Times and other media organization. One such lawsuit was filed in 2021, wherein he sued NYT for $100 million, alleging that they conspired to unlawfully obtain his tax records for a series of investigative reports produced by the newspaper. The series however went on to won Pulitzer Prize, as it revealed extensive details about Trump’s finances and tax strategies.
Later in 2023, a judge dismissed the cases, justifying that Trump’s arguments were legally insufficient and that the the series of investigative reports were protected under free speech and press freedom.