Trump files, then refiles, $15 billion defamation suit against the New York Times
President Trump sued The New York Times and four of its journalists for $15 billion over articles and a book published before the 2024 election; a judge dismissed the sprawling original complaint for violating basic pleading rules, and Trump refiled a shorter version a month later.1
- Country
- United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)
- Where
- United States
- Level of government
- National
- Tactic
- Lawsuits against the press
- Stage
- Pressure (see the ladder)
- Head of government at the time
- Donald Trump
- Issue of the day
- The suit named Times articles and a book published in the run-up to the 2024 election, including reporting referencing a note Trump was said to have given Jeffrey Epstein, and the paper's endorsement of Kamala Harris.
- Outcome
- Ongoing, October 16, 2025. A judge dismissed the original complaint for violating pleading rules; Trump refiled a shortened, six-claim complaint in October 2025.
- Era
- The 2020s
What happened
On September 15, 2025, Trump filed a defamation suit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida against The New York Times and four of its journalists, seeking $15 billion over several articles and a book published ahead of the 2024 election, calling the paper a "virtual 'mouthpiece' for the radical left Democrat[ic] Party." On September 19, 2025, Judge Steven Merryday dismissed the complaint, finding it violated federal court rules requiring a short, plain statement of the claims rather than the lengthy document Trump's lawyers had filed. Trump refiled a condensed, forty-page complaint organized around six specific defamation claims on October 16, 2025, and the Times waived formal service, allowing the case to proceed before the same judge.23415
What reason was given
Trump accused the Times of "spreading false and defamatory content" about him, his family and his businesses.2
What changed for reporting
A sitting president sought $15 billion from one of the country's largest newspapers over its pre-election coverage, and even after the original complaint's dismissal for improper pleading, the litigation continued into 2026.2341
Timeline
2025
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump | ordered | President of the United States |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| The New York Times | outlet | affected |
Sources
- Trump files $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times
- Trump v. New York Times Company, 8:25-cv-02487 (M.D. Fla.)
Claims cited
- Trump refiled a condensed forty-page complaint with six specific defamation claims after the original was dismissed.
condensed to exactly 40 pages and reorganized into six specific defamation claims
Trump v. New York Times Company, 8:25-cv-02487 (M.D. Fla.), Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, 2026-05-01. Claim 370, checked 2026-09-22. - Trump accused the Times of acting as a mouthpiece for the Democratic Party and spreading false content about him.
virtual 'mouthpiece' for the radical left Democrat[ic] Party
Trump files $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, Euronews, 2025-09-16. Claim 367, checked 2026-09-22. - The court found the complaint failed to provide a short and plain statement of the claims as required by federal rules.
a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.
Trump v. New York Times Company, 8:25-cv-02487 (M.D. Fla.), Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, 2026-05-01. Claim 368, checked 2026-09-22. - The court also found the pleading failed the rule requiring each claim to be simple, concise and direct.
[e]ach averment of a pleading shall be simple, concise, and direct.
Trump v. New York Times Company, 8:25-cv-02487 (M.D. Fla.), Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, 2026-05-01. Claim 369, checked 2026-09-22. - Trump filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida on September 15, 2025; the docket entry for the complaint is dated 09/15/2025.
On September 15, 2025, Donald Trump filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida against the New York Times Company, Penguin Random House LLC, and individual authors.
Trump v. New York Times Company, 8:25-cv-02487 (M.D. Fla.), Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, 2026-05-01. Claim 487, checked 2026-09-22.