Trump Files $15 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Against NY Times, Alleges Fraud, Fascism Claims and Credit Theft in The Apprentice

In a significant legal move, former President Donald Trump has initiated a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and some of its high-profile journalists over articles and a book that allegedly claimed he built his fortune and reputation through fraud.

The suit also encompasses an interview conducted by the Times prior to the 2020 elections, during which former U.S. Army General John F. Kelly, who served as Trump’s chief of staff, expressed concerns about Trump’s fascist tendencies. Additionally, Trump’s legal team contends that the Times incorrectly attributed the success of the NBC reality show “The Apprentice” to producer Mark Burnett, rather than to Trump himself, who served as the show’s host and central figure.

In a statement released by their spokesperson, The New York Times Company dismissed the lawsuit as baseless, claiming it is an attempt to stifle independent reporting. The company stated, “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.”

Filed in a federal court in Tampa as a private individual, the lawsuit showcases Trump’s accomplishments across various spheres, including politics, business, and entertainment. The legal team handling the case has represented Trump in his previous lawsuits against major media companies such as ABC, CBS, and The Wall Street Journal.

Trump took to social media to express that this lawsuit represents an expansion of his ongoing battle against the media, stating, “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.”

Public figures like Trump face a high burden of proof to establish defamation in court. They must demonstrate that the defendants published false information either knowingly or with serious doubts about its truth. Despite this, Trump has yet to take his cases to the judicial system, as major media companies have settled out of court when faced with his lawsuits.

ABC’s parent company, The Walt Disney Company, paid $16 million to settle Trump’s suit over inaccuracies by anchor George Stephanopoulos. CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, made a similar payment to settle Trump’s objections to how the network edited an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2020 presidential election. At the time, Paramount Global was seeking regulatory approval for its sale to Skydance Media, which it soon secured.

Most recently, Trump has sued The Wall Street Journal for reporting a bawdy and sexually suggestive birthday message he allegedly sent to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The Journal, owned by Trump’s political ally Rupert Murdoch, has vowed to fight the suit in court. It later published a replica of the signed note, which Trump claims is a forgery.

Throughout his presidency, the Trump administration has leveraged its regulatory powers to secure concessions from television networks. This includes restricting mainstream media access to coverage at the White House and the Pentagon, as well as persuading the Republican-led Congress to reclaim all federal funding for public media – a sum of $1.1 billion over the next two years, which Congress had approved earlier in the year and Trump subsequently signed into law.

The lawsuit names veteran investigative reporters Suzanne Craig, Russ Buettner, Michael S. Schmidt, and Peter Baker, The New York Times’ chief White House correspondent. Trump is also suing Penguin Random House for publishing a book by Craig and Buettner in September 2024, which details Trump’s financial rise and alleges vast tax fraud, denied funds to family members, and structuring his business to avoid taxes.

The lawsuit was filed on the same day that Trump’s former vice president and senior administration officials appeared on the podcast of the late Charlie Kirk to pay tribute to their friend. They expressed a desire for retribution against those on the left whom they blame for fostering the divisive environment in which conservative activist Kirk was killed.

Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt appears to be the last president to have sued someone for defamation. He filed suit over a report by the publisher of a small Michigan weekly newspaper that he had been repeatedly intoxicated during his unsuccessful third-term bid. In this instance, a parade of witnesses testified that Roosevelt, though boisterous, only consumed alcohol moderately. On the stand, the newspaperman retracted his claims. “In view of the statement by the defendant,” Roosevelt said, “I shall ask the court to instruct the jury that I desire only nominal damages. 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.”