9/18 – President Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times and Penguin Random House, escalating his legal battles with major media outlets. The case, lodged in Florida federal court, targets three Times articles and a 2024 book, Lucky Loser, authored by two Times reporters and published by Penguin. Trump claims the publications contained “false, malicious, and defamatory” material intended to derail his 2024 reelection bid, causing severe reputational and financial harm. Both the Times and Penguin dismissed the lawsuit as meritless attempts to intimidate journalists and stifle independent reporting.

The suit follows a series of Trump’s recent legal offensives against the press. In July, he filed a $10 billion claim against the Wall Street Journal over Epstein coverage. That same month, CBS parent Paramount settled a suit with a $16 million payment to Trump’s presidential library, while ABC News agreed in December to pay $15 million in another settlement.