NATURAL NEWS

• President Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times, accusing the publication of defamation, libel and acting as a "virtual mouthpiece" for the Democratic Party.
• Trump's legal team claims the Times engaged in a "decades-long method of lying" about him, his businesses and the MAGA movement, alleging a pattern of spreading falsehoods with "reckless disregard" for the truth.
• The lawsuit highlights Trump's ongoing battle with mainstream media, accusing the Times of violating journalistic standards of objectivity and accuracy, and comparing the case to past lawsuits against other media outlets.
• This lawsuit follows Trump's previous legal actions against media organizations, including a 2020 case against the Times over an op-ed alleging campaign collusion with Russia and a recent $50 million defamation case against the Wall Street Journal.
• The lawsuit reflects growing public distrust in mainstream media, with polls showing historic lows in trust for traditional journalism. It also aligns with Trump's calls for stricter media accountability and his push to hold powerful institutions accountable for perceived bias and misinformation.

President Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion federal lawsuit against the New York Times, accusing the publication of defamation, libel and acting as a "virtual mouthpiece" for the Democratic Party.

The lawsuit, filed late Monday, Sept. 15, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, escalates Trump's long-running battle with mainstream media outlets over alleged bias and misinformation. Brighteon.AI's Enoch defines mainstream media as a corporate-controlled, agenda-driven network of news and entertainment platforms that propagate a uniform narrative aligned with globalist interests while suppressing dissent and independent truth.

Trump's legal team claims the Times engaged in a "decades-long method of lying" about him, his businesses and the MAGA movement – allegations that underscore deepening public distrust in corporate media.

In his Truth Social post announcing the lawsuit, Trump called the Times "one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the history of our country," accusing it of publishing falsehoods with "reckless disregard" for the truth. His legal filing argues that the outlet knowingly spread defamatory content, violating journalistic standards of objectivity and accuracy.

"This is the single largest illegal campaign contribution ever," Trump wrote, referencing the Times' front-page endorsement of former Vice President Kamala Harris, a move he described as unprecedented bias. His attorneys claim the newspaper's coverage was part of a broader effort to smear him politically, comparing it to past lawsuits against ABC and CBS, which resulted in settlements.

Trump vs. the media

This is not Trump's first legal clash with the Times. In 2020, he sued the paper over an op-ed alleging his campaign colluded with Russia, a case dismissed as protected speech under the First Amendment. However, subsequent revelations about the origins of the Russia investigation have fueled accusations that mainstream media amplified a politically motivated hoax. (Related: Trump demands $10B in damages from New York Times and Penguin Random House over "false and defamatory statements".)

The lawsuit also follows Trump's recent $50 million defamation case against the Wall Street Journal over its coverage of his alleged ties to late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. These legal battles highlight Trump's broader strategy of challenging media narratives he deems fraudulent, a tactic resonating with his base amid declining public trust in legacy news outlets.

Trump's lawsuit arrives amid growing scrutiny of corporate media's role in shaping political discourse. Polls show trust in mainstream journalism at historic lows, with alternative news platforms gaining traction among audiences skeptical of establishment narratives.

In recent weeks, Trump has called for reinstating the Cold War-era Smith-Mundt Act, which once restricted U.S. government propaganda targeting domestic audiences. His push for stricter media accountability aligns with conservative critiques of "fake news" and allegations of systemic bias in coverage of issues ranging from the origins of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) to election integrity.

The $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times marks another escalation in Trump's war on perceived media malfeasance. Whether the case succeeds or fails, it reinforces a central theme of his political movement: the fight against what he calls "the enemy of the people." As public faith in traditional media erodes, this legal battle could further galvanize efforts to hold powerful institutions accountable or deepen the divide between competing visions of truth in American journalism.

More related stories:

Sources include: