Trump sues NYT and Penguin for defamation seeking $15 billion

In the lawsuit, Trump refers to a series of articles in the NYT, including an editorial published before the 2024 presidential election that claimed he was unfit for office, as well as the book Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father's Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success published by Penguin.

The defendants maliciously published the book and the articles, knowing that these publications contained "repugnant distortions and fabrications about President Trump," the lawsuit filed in a Florida district court on September 15 states.

Trump's lawyers argue that the publications harmed Donald Trump's business and personal reputation, thereby causing enormous economic damage to the value of his brand and significant harm to his future financial prospects.

The damage to the value of TMTG (Trump Media and Technology Group) shares was cited by Trump's lawyers as an example of how the defendants' defamation harmed him, pointing to a sharp decline in the stock price.

Trump sues WSJ

In 2006, American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein was accused of sexually assaulting underage girls and was arrested.

In 2019, he died in prison after being rearrested and charged with conspiracy to commit human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

On July 17, 2025, The Wall Street Journal published an article featuring a collection of letters that had been given to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003, including a note signed by US President Donald Trump and a sketch of a nude woman.

The following day, Trump filed a defamation lawsuit, stating that "no authentic letter or drawing exists."

After that, The Wall Street Journal was also denied one of the prestigious press pool spots during Trump's trip to Scotland.