Donald Trump has claimed that he has started a $15bn lawsuit against the New York Times for libel and defamation.
Late on Monday, the US President shared a social media post on his own Truth Social platform in which he attacked the paper and said he has commenced legal action against it.
He accused the NYT of ‘decades’ of ‘lying’ about him, as well as his political movement, family, businesses, and ‘our nation as a whole’.
Why is Donald Trump allegedly suing the New York Times?
In a typically long and scattergun statement, Trump - who described himself as ‘your Favourite President’ - singled out the Times’ support for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and said that the paper was a ‘mouthpiece’ for the ‘Radical Left Democrat Party’.
Trump said that the case had been brought in Florida, without providing any evidence to support that claim.
Court filings reported by Reuters appear to support Trump’s statement, although details are not yet clear.
It has been reported that Trump's claim aruges that the 'reputational injury inflicted in this case reaches billions of dollars'.
Trump threatened to sue the NYT last week after it reported on a drawing and a note that were allegedly signed by the President and given to Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump denies that he ever signed the picture or was involved in its creation, although a handwriting expert later disagreed.
This is just one claim surrounding Trump and Epstein’s past relationship, as the debate around the release of files about the convicted sex offender - who died in prison 2019 - rages on.
Trump hits out at the New York Times on Truth Social
On his own social media platform, Trump wrote: “Today, I have the Great Honor of bringing a $15 Billion Dollar Defamation and Libel Lawsuit against The New York Times,
“The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!”
He alleged that the Times has conducted a ‘false, malicious, defamatory, and disparaging’ campaign against him, trying to undermine his legacy and campaign for office.
Trump is allegedly seeking $15bn in damages and cited previous lawsuits against the Wall Street Journal, ABC News, and CBS News.
VT has contacted the New York Times for a comment, but they did not immediately respond outside of normal operating hours.