‘About time!’ Donald Trump ramps up attacks on NYT after $15bn lawsuit; accuses left-wing media of trying to ‘destroy US’

US president Donald Trump has launched a blistering new attack on The New York Times, filing a $15 billion lawsuit against the newspaper and accusing it of being part of a decades-long smear campaign intended to damage him politically. Trump, claimed the suit had sparked a wave of public support, declaring on Truth Social: “I am getting amazing feedback on my Lawsuit against The New York Times. The predominant feeling and sentiment is, ‘IT’S ABOUT TIME!’”“The Radical Left Media is working hard to destroy the U.S.A. We are going to stop them at each and every level!!!” Trump added.Filed in Florida federal court, the complaint names four reporters, the paper itself, and publisher Penguin Random House as defendants. It also cites several articles from late last year, alongside a book authored by Pulitzer-winning journalists Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig, as evidence of what Trump’s legal team calls “intentional and malicious defamation.”“The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!” Trump wrote. He further alleged that the Times had abandoned basic journalistic standards in its coverage of him, accusing the paper of acting with “actual malice” and publishing stories “in the most antagonistic and negative way” possible. In a separate post, Trump described the lawsuit as “the Great Honor” of holding “one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the History of our Country” accountable, branding it a “virtual ‘mouthpiece’ for the Radical Left Democrat Party.” He also blasted the Times’ endorsement of Kamala Harris, calling it “the single largest illegal Campaign contribution, EVER.”The Times, responding via X (formerly Twitter), dismissed the suit as meritless and an attempt to silence investigative journalism.Trump’s lawsuit follows earlier defamation battles with ABC and CBS, both of which ended in multi-million dollar settlements earmarked for his future presidential library. He has also sued Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal over similar allegations.