Trump revealed the lawsuit would be filed in Florida, accusing the newspaper of fabricating false information about him, his family, businesses, and the movements and ideologies he has championed, including "America First" and "Make America Great Again."
The lawsuit cites several articles, including an opinion piece from The New York Times ahead of the 2024 presidential election, which criticized Trump's fitness to lead the nation.
Trump expressed on Truth Social, "Today, I am proud to file a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times for $15 billion in damages for their malicious and defamatory conduct." He had previously threatened legal action against the newspaper on September 9 regarding an article about a birthday letter to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, which allegedly bore Trump's signature.
The letter, reportedly part of a book containing birthday messages to Epstein on his 50th birthday, was said to feature a sketch of a naked woman. It was compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 for sex trafficking minors, along with other charges linked to Epstein, her former partner.
The New York Times claimed the signature on the letter was similar to Trump's, with an elongated "d" in his name, matching signatures from documents Trump had submitted to New York City officials between 1987 and 2001.
Trump's attorneys later demanded the article be retracted and an apology issued for "malicious fabrication," warning of a potential $10 billion lawsuit.
A spokesperson for The New York Times, Danielle Rhoades Ha, responded, stating the paper's journalists "reported the story, provided visual evidence, and published Trump's denial, allowing readers to assess the situation for themselves." The spokesperson reaffirmed the newspaper's commitment to uncovering the truth.
The letter was made public by Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee on September 8.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the letter as a forgery, stating that Trump "did not draw the image nor sign it." The White House also supported an investigation to verify that the signature was not Trump’s.
Trump had previously filed a defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, demanding $10 billion in damages after the newspaper reported on the letter.