President Donald Trump on Monday filed a sweeping $15 billion federal defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, four of its reporters, and Penguin Random House, claiming their coverage of his 2024 campaign intentionally damaged his reputation and political standing. The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, which covers Trump’s residence outside the White House.
The suit alleges that the newspaper and reporters aimed to “ruin his reputation as a businessman, sink his campaign and prejudice judges and juries against him.” The reporters named in the lawsuit are Susanne Craig, Russ Buettner, Peter Baker, and Michael S. Schmidt. Penguin Random House is included for publishing Craig and Buettner’s book, Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success.
Trump’s legal team argues that the Times “continued spreading false and defamatory content about President Trump” and refused to recognize his “greatest personal and political achievement in American history” with his 2024 election victory. The filing highlights a Times editorial endorsing Democratic opponent Kamala Harris and cites three long-form articles that challenged Trump’s record as a businessman and questioned his fitness for the presidency, painting him as someone who could “dismantle the institutions that have made our country strong.”
“Today, the Times is a full-throated mouthpiece for the Democrat Party,” the lawsuit states. “The newspaper’s editorial routine is now one of industrial-scale defamation and libel against political opponents. As such, the Times has become a leading, and unapologetic purveyor of falsehoods against President Trump.”
Trump’s lawyers previously sent cease-and-desist letters in October 2024 to both the Times and Penguin Random House, demanding the media outlets stop publishing what they described as false and defamatory claims. David McCraw, the Times’ lawyer, responded to the letters, defending the reporting and criticizing the lawsuit as a “litany of personal complaints” based on the “deeply troubling notion that anyone who dares to report unfavorable facts about a presidential candidate is engaged in ‘sabotage.’”
Penguin Random House also pushed back, with senior VP and associate general counsel Carolyn K. Foley stating:
“The fact that the authors of the book do not share your favorable view of your client’s career, does not provide the foundation for a defamation claim.”
Trump’s lawsuit seeks a minimum of $15 billion in compensatory damages, along with unspecified punitive damages. It accuses the Times of bias, claiming that its coverage has become politically motivated, portraying him as unfit to govern while endorsing Democratic candidates. The case underscores ongoing tensions between Trump and media organizations that have scrutinized his business record and political career.
The suit comes amid a broader narrative by Trump and his allies that major news outlets unfairly target conservative figures and attempt to influence elections, echoing claims made throughout his political career. This legal action is one of the largest defamation cases filed by a former U.S. president and is expected to draw intense national attention, potentially shaping the ongoing debate over press freedom, political reporting, and the limits of defamation law in the U.S.
