President Donald Trump has launched a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and four of its journalists, accusing them of a long-standing campaign of malicious falsehoods. The complaint, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court in Florida, targets multiple articles and a book published in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. Trump's legal action escalates his ongoing battles with the media, framing the coverage as a deliberate effort to undermine his political career and personal reputation.

The suit alleges that the defendants published statements "negligently, with knowledge of their falsity, and/or with reckless disregard" for the truth, constituting defamation under Florida law. Specific claims centre on reporting that Trump describes as fabricated narratives about his business dealings, personal conduct, and electoral integrity. The complaint portrays these publications as part of a "decades-long pattern" by The New York Times, dating back to his time as a real estate developer, to portray him in a negative light through biased and unsubstantiated journalism.

In a post on Truth Social announcing the lawsuit, Trump lambasted The New York Times as a "virtual mouthpiece" for the "Radical Left Democrat Party", claiming it has repeatedly lied about him to sway public opinion. The newspaper had not responded to requests for comment as of early Tuesday. Legal experts note that defamation suits by public figures like Trump face high hurdles under the landmark 1964 Supreme Court case New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, which requires proof of "actual malice"—knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for truth—a standard the president's filing explicitly invokes.

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This is not Trump's first foray into high-stakes media litigation. In July, he filed a $10 billion defamation suit against The Wall Street Journal and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, over a story detailing his past associations with financier Jeffrey Epstein. Such actions reflect Trump's strategy of using lawsuits to counter perceived adversarial coverage, though outcomes have been mixed, with many dismissed on First Amendment grounds. As the 2024 election's echoes fade, the case could test the boundaries of press freedom amid a polarised media landscape.

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