Trump sues New York Times, Penguin Random House for $15 billion

US President Donald Trump has launched a USD 15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times and book publisher Penguin Random House, escalating his ongoing battle with media outlets he accuses of working to damage his reputation and political standing.

The complaint, filed Monday in federal court in Florida, focuses on a book about Trump written by two Times journalists and three articles the lawsuit describes as “false, malicious, defamatory, and disparaging.” According to Trump, those publications were designed to undermine his chances during the 2024 presidential election.

In a statement Tuesday, the New York Times rejected the case outright, saying Trump’s claims “have no legitimate legal basis and represent an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting.” Penguin Random House issued a similar response, calling the lawsuit “meritless” and affirming its support for both the book and its authors.

The book at the center of the dispute, Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success, was published in 2024 and accused Trump of mismanaging family wealth while crafting a false image of financial prowess. Trump’s lawyers argue the book, along with the cited articles, including a pre-election editorial declaring him unfit for office, inflicted severe reputational and economic harm, causing “massive damage to his brand value and future financial prospects.”

The lawsuit is the latest in a string of defamation cases filed by Trump during his second term in office. In July, he sued the Wall Street Journal for USD 10 billion over its reporting on his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The Journal dismissed the case as baseless.

Trump has also reached settlements in other media battles. In December, ABC News agreed to pay USD 15 million to his presidential library after a defamation suit over on-air remarks by anchor George Stephanopoulos related to writer E. Jean Carroll’s sexual assault claims. Similarly, CBS parent company Paramount paid USD 16 million to resolve a dispute over the editing of a 60 Minutes interview with then–Vice President Kamala Harris.

Despite these high-profile cases, legal experts note that US defamation law poses significant hurdles for public figures. To succeed, Trump would need to demonstrate that the publishers knowingly spread falsehoods or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.

Trump’s filing also comes on the heels of his threats last week to sue the New York Times over reporting on an allegedly sexually suggestive note and drawing connected to Epstein. Trump has repeatedly insisted he cut ties with Epstein in 2006, years before his criminal activities became public.

For now, the USD 15 billion case against the Times and Penguin Random House underscores Trump’s increasingly aggressive approach toward media criticism as he continues to wage legal battles on multiple fronts.