At this point, President Donald Trump is an expert in his direct and rude jabs towards other political members and suing media outlets when he’s pissed with them. In a fiery late-night post on Truth Social, Trump announced he is suing The New York Times for $15 billion, escalating tensions following its reporting on his alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump accused the Times of engaging in a “decades-long campaign of lies” aimed at him, his family, his businesses, and the MAGA movement. Without naming Epstein directly, Trump pointed to recent Times articles linking him to Epstein’s infamous 2003 birthday book. The New York Times claims the picture is authentic, but Trump has repeatedly denied it as “fake.”
According to The Daily Beast, Trump called the publication “one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the history of our country.” Trump said the lawsuit would be filed in Florida. He provided no additional legal details. The Times had previously reported that Trump’s legal team demanded a retraction and apology, and initially hinted at a $10 billion suit. Just days later, that figure has jumped to $15 billion.
Donald Trump’s attorney, Edward Paltzik, has strongly criticized the reporting, especially the birthday book drawing. The Times said its coverage provided visual evidence of Trump’s denial.
“We reported the facts, included the visual documentation, and published President Trump’s response,” said Times spokeswoman Daniella Rhoades Ha. “The American people can make up their own minds. We will continue to stand by our reporting and defend our journalists’ First Amendment rights.”
BREAKING 🚨 President Trump stuns America by bringing a $15 Billion dollar lawsuit against the New York Times
Trump: “The suit is being brought in the great State of Florida”
SUE THEM INTO OBLIVION pic.twitter.com/JRu0f7I8F3
— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) September 16, 2025
The Times was founded in 1851 as the conservative New York Daily Times by two journalists, Henry Raymond and George Jones. It is known for covering international and domestic news, followed by reviews and opinion pieces. It was called the penny paper, which avoided sensational journalism and exposed corrupt politicians. It built a reputation as independent and accurate, though not without controversies of its own.
Meanwhile, the Jeffrey Epstein controversy is another controversial topic that has garnered attention in recent months. It all began when General Attorney Pam Bondi, alongside other members of the Trump administration, promised the public that they would release the Epstein files.
September 18, 1851: The New York Times published its first issue. Founded by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones, it aimed to deliver news objectively, which differed from the era’s sensationalist journalism. The paper adopted the mantra “All the News That’s Fit to Print” in… pic.twitter.com/Zol2BymofG
— Today in History (@HistoryNutOTD) September 18, 2023
These reportedly contain high-profile names of people who were in touch with the late offender, alongside other important information that might lead to the reason behind his sudden death in 2019. Despite intense public pressure and online scrutiny, the administration has not released the files yet. Pam Bondi received backlash for manipulating people and avoiding transparency.
Amidst increased pressure from the Trump administration to release the files, several media reports have also claimed that the POTUS had close personal relationships with both Epstein and his ally Ghislaine Maxwell for many years and has offered inconsistent public statements about them.
Furthermore, Trump has several other lawsuits against reputed media companies, such as the ongoing litigation against The Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over their reporting on the same Epstein-related birthday book. He is also facing a $16 million settlement with CBS/Paramount over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris that he claimed was deceptively edited.
NEW: Entire 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris released after they were accused of deceptively editing her answers.
Trump sued CBS for $10B days before the election over the edits.
Two never-before-seen excerpts from the interview are now public.pic.twitter.com/7dn5xZH0Pf
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 5, 2025
“These media outlets have engaged in long-term, malicious patterns of abuse,” Trump wrote. “They lie, smear, and defame without consequence that ends now,” he said in his lengthy rant.
