NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 President Donald Trump has added The New York Times to the list of media companies he’s challenged in court, filing a $15 billion defamation lawsuit that targets four of its journalists in a book and three articles published within a two-month period before the last election.
In a Truth Social post announcing the lawsuit early Tuesday, Trump called the Times 鈥渙ne of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the nation’s history鈥 and a virtual mouthpiece for Democrats. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Florida.
The Times called the lawsuit meritless and an attempt to discourage independent reporting. 鈥淭he New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics,鈥 spokesman Charlie Stadtlander said.
It follows lawsuits Trump has filed against and CBS News’ 鈥60 Minutes,鈥 both of which were by the news organizations’ parent companies. Trump also sued and media mogul Rupert Murdoch in July after the newspaper published a story reporting on his ties to wealthy financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The lawsuit names a book and an article written by Times reporters Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig that focuses on Trump’s finances and his pre-presidency starring role in television’s 鈥淭he Apprentice.鈥
Trump sparred with a pair of reporters on Tuesday before he and first lady Melania Trump departed for a state visit to the United Kingdom. He told one of the journalists he has a 鈥渓ot of hate鈥 in his heart.
Trump said in the lawsuit they 鈥渕aliciously peddled the fact-free narrative鈥 that television producer Mark Burnett turned Trump into a celebrity 鈥 鈥渆ven though at and prior to the time of publications defendants knew that President Trump was already a mega-celebrity and an enormous success in business.鈥 The 85-page lawsuit also attacks claims the reporters made about Trump’s early business dealings and his father, Fred.
Trump also cites an article by Peter Baker last Oct. 20 headlined 鈥淔or Trump, a Lifetime of Scandals Heads Toward a Moment of Judgment.鈥 He also sues Michael S. Schmidt for a piece two days later featuring an interview with Trump’s first-term chief of staff, John Kelly, headlined 鈥淎s Election Nears, Kelly Warns Trump Would Rule Like a Dictator.鈥
In the lawsuit, Trump claimed The Times 鈥渃ould not accept President Trump’s win in 2016 and could not fathom his winning again in a landslide.鈥 It wasn’t a part of the case, but Trump attacked the newspaper’s 鈥渄eranged鈥 editorial endorsement of opponent Kamala Harris last year.
鈥淭he 鈥楾imes鈥 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,鈥 Trump said on Truth Social. 鈥淚 am PROUD to hold this once-respected 鈥榬ag鈥 responsible.鈥
None of Trump’s media lawsuits have made it to court, but in court papers he claimed the settlements with ABC and CBS as part of his 鈥渟uccessful undertaking to restore integrity to journalism.鈥
The president has also been by The Associated Press over restricting the news organization’s access to cover him in retaliation for its decision not to follow his executive order to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
The Times’ Stadtlander said that the news organization 鈥渨ill 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.鈥
Penguin Random House, publisher of Buettner and Craig’s book, 鈥淟ucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success,鈥 said it stands by the book and its authors.
Answering questions from the news media Tuesday as he departed the White House for a trip to London, Trump seemed miffed when an Australian Broadcasting Corp. reporter asked about his level of business activity since his return to office. Trump replied, 鈥橸ou鈥檙e hurting Australia very much right now, and they want to get along with me.鈥
He said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would be visiting him at the White House soon and 鈥淚鈥檓 going to tell him about you. You set a very bad tone.鈥
When the reporter continued to ask questions in a loud voice, Trump hushed him by saying, 鈥渜uiet鈥 and turned to Jonathan Karl of ABC News for a 鈥渘icer tone.鈥
But Trump also lit into Karl, too. The two men have known each other for many years.
Karl asked about Attorney General Pam Bondi’s comments that she will go after hate speech after the killing of influential conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Karl said even some of the president’s allies consider hate speech to be free speech, and therefore protected by the Constitution.
Trump responded by telling Karl the administration would 鈥減robably go after people like you, because you treat me so unfairly, it鈥檚 hate. You have a lot of hate in your heart.鈥
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Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.
David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at and
