In the wake of two successful defamation suits brought against the legacy media over the past year, President Trump is seeking justice against a longtime detractor. His current target: the New York Times.
“Today, I have the Great Honor of bringing a $15 Billion Dollar Defamation and Libel Lawsuit against The New York 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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
‘The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!’
Trump added. “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.”
Specifically, Trump is suing over the “defamatory, malicious, and false” publication of a book and three articles that he claims were intended to “kill three birds with one stone”: “damage President Trump’s hard-earned and world-renowned reputation for business success,” “sabotage his 2024 candidacy for President of the United States,” and “prejudice judges and juries in the unlawful cases brought against President Trump, his family, and his businesses by his political opponents for purposes of election interference.”
The book, “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success,” and the article “The Star-Making Machine That Created ‘Donald Trump’” were written by Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner. Another article mentioned in the suit is “For Trump, a Lifetime of Scandals Heads Toward a Moment of Judgment” by Peter Baker. The third article, written by Michael S. Schmidt, is entitled “As Election Nears, Kelly Warns Trump Would Rule Like a Dictator.”
The authors are named as defendants alongside the New York Times and Penguin Random House LLC.
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Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images
A spokesperson for the New York Times responded on Tuesday morning: “This lawsuit has no merit. 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.”
The president cited his successful record of litigation “against George Slopadopoulos/ABC/Disney, and 60 Minutes/CBS/Paramount, who knew that they were falsely ‘smearing’ me through a highly sophisticated system of document and visual alteration, which was, in effect, a malicious form of defamation, and thus, settled for record amounts.”
Trump won a defamation case against ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos, who agreed to pay $15 million to Trump’s organization in addition to $1 million in Trump’s legal fees. The case concerned claims made by Stephanopoulos on the network that Trump was found liable for the rape of E. Jean Carroll.
Likewise, Paramount Global and CBS News agreed to pay $16 million for Trump’s future presidential library in a settlement of a suit regarding the infamous “60 Minutes” interview with 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
“The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!” he added.
The lawsuit has been brought in Florida.
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Politics, President trump, Trump organization, Defamation suit, Libel suits, Cbs, New york times, Legacy media, Abc news