On September 16, 2025, President Donald Trump launched a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and Penguin Random House, escalating his high-profile campaign against what he calls "legacy media" ahead of the 2024 election. Filed in the Middle District of Florida, the suit names four prominent Times journalists—Peter Baker, Russ Buettner, Susanne Craig, and Michael Schmidt—as defendants, along with Penguin Random House, the publisher of the controversial book Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father's Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success.
According to court documents reviewed by The New York Times and corroborated by multiple outlets including NPR and The Hollywood Reporter, Trump’s legal team alleges that the Times and Penguin Random House engaged in a calculated campaign to damage his reputation and electoral prospects. The lawsuit claims the articles and book in question were "carefully crafted by Defendants, with actual malice, calculated to inflict maximum damage upon President Trump, and all published during the height of a Presidential Election that became the most consequential in American history."
Central to Trump’s case is the assertion that the Times has become a "full-throated mouthpiece of the Democrat Party," a phrase repeated throughout the 150-page filing. His lawyers argue that the newspaper and publisher have engaged in "industrial-scale defamation and libel against political opponents," with the explicit goal of undermining Trump’s "hard-earned and world-renowned reputation for business success."
Among the specific grievances, the lawsuit points to three Times articles and the book Lucky Loser, which was penned by investigative reporters Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner. The book, published in September 2024, alleges that Trump committed tax fraud, denied family members their inheritance, and constructed his business empire through fraudulent means. Trump’s legal team also takes issue with the Times’ reporting on his tenure as host of The Apprentice, arguing that the newspaper wrongly attributed the show’s success to producer Mark Burnett rather than Trump himself.
The suit further references an interview conducted by the Times ahead of the 2024 election with retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. John F. Kelly, Trump’s former chief of staff. In that interview, Kelly reportedly warned that Trump "met the definition of fascist," a claim the lawsuit calls defamatory and baseless. Trump’s attorneys insist that such statements were published "negligently, with knowledge of the falsity of the statements, and/or with reckless disregard of their truth or falsity."
In a Truth Social post announcing the lawsuit, Trump did not mince words: "It is my Great Honor to file this $15 billion defamation and libel lawsuit against the Times, one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the History of our Country, becoming a virtual 'mouthpiece' for the Radical Left Democrat Party. I view it as the single largest illegal Campaign contribution, EVER." He continued, "The 'Times' has engaged in a decades long method of lying about your Favorite President (ME!), my family, business, the America First Movement, MAGA, and our Nation as a whole. I am PROUD to hold this once respected 'rag' responsible, as we are doing with the Fake News Networks such as our successful litigation against George Slopadopoulos/ABC/Disney, and 60 Minutes/CBS/Paramount."
The New York Times, for its part, has strongly pushed back. In a statement, a spokesperson said, "It lacks any legitimate legal claims and instead is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting. The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics. 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." Penguin Random House also stood by its authors and the book, declaring, "Penguin Random House stands by the book and its authors and will continue to uphold the values of the First Amendment that are fundamental to our role as a book publisher."
This is not the first time Trump has taken legal action against major media outlets. In July 2025, he filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and its owner Rupert Murdoch, following a story that linked Trump to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The Journal published a replica of a note Trump allegedly sent Epstein for his 50th birthday—a document Trump claims is a fake. Dow Jones, the Journal’s parent company, responded, "We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit."
Trump’s legal strategy has included high-profile settlements with other media giants. As reported by NPR and The Hollywood Reporter, ABC News’ parent company Disney paid $16 million to settle a defamation suit over comments made by anchor George Stephanopoulos, and CBS’s parent company Paramount Global paid a similar amount following a dispute over an edited interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump’s attorneys cite these settlements as evidence of a broader pattern of media malpractice and as justification for the current suit.
Legal experts note that public figures like Trump face a high bar in defamation cases. To prevail, he must prove that the defendants published false statements knowingly or with reckless disregard for the truth—a standard set by the Supreme Court in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan. Historically, such cases rarely succeed, though Trump’s team points to prior settlements as evidence that media companies are not immune to legal consequences.
The lawsuit’s filing comes at a time when Trump and his allies have intensified their criticism of mainstream media, accusing outlets of bias and misinformation. The suit was filed by attorneys who have represented Trump in previous cases against ABC, CBS, and The Wall Street Journal. The complaint itself is replete with praise for Trump’s accomplishments as a businessman, entertainer, and politician, framing the legal action as part of a broader effort to restore "integrity to journalism" and "repair the immense damage caused by legacy media outlets such as the Times for the better part of a decade."
In an unusual twist, the lawsuit draws a historical parallel to former President Theodore Roosevelt, who in the early 20th century sued a Michigan newspaper for defamation. According to a 2023 Washington Post account, Roosevelt ultimately sought only nominal damages, declaring, "I did not go into this suit for money. I did not go into it with any vindictive purpose. I have achieved my purpose, and I am content." Whether Trump’s lawsuit will follow a similar trajectory or become a landmark case in the ongoing battle between public figures and the press remains to be seen.
With the 2024 election still casting a long shadow over American politics, Trump’s $15 billion suit against The New York Times and Penguin Random House is set to test the boundaries of press freedom, political speech, and the legal protections afforded to both journalists and their subjects.
As the legal proceedings unfold, all eyes will be on the courtroom—and on the continuing clash between one of America’s most polarizing political figures and the media institutions that chronicle his every move.
