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US President Donald Trump has renewed his $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, its reporters, and publisher Penguin Random House.
Trump initially submitted a 85-page-long lawsuit against the paper last month, accusing it of lying about him for decades and serving as a mouthpiece for the “Radical Left Democratic Party.” He claimed the outlet was “one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the history of our country” and described its endorsement of his Democratic rival in 2024, Kamala Harris, as “the single largest illegal campaign contribution, EVER.”
However, the original filing was dismissed as “decidedly improper and impermissible.” Judge Steven D. Merryday claimed it read more like a political attack than a legal argument and ordered Trump and his team to resubmit the complaint and make sure it does not exceed 40 pages.
The new complaint, filed on Thursday, is exactly 40 pages long and now lacks original passages on Trump’s 2024 election victory and the “Russia Collusion Hoax.” The name of a reporters listed in the original, Michael S. Schmidt, has also been dropped.
Trump’s attorneys allege that statements made in The New York Times and the 2024 book Lucky Loser, published by Penguin Random House, were “malicious, defamatory, and disparaging” toward his reputation and career achievements. The suit seeks both financial damages and formal retractions of the claims.
A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team has said the president is “continuing to hold the Fake News responsible through this powerhouse lawsuit.”
New York Times spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha responded by saying the paper “will not be deterred by intimidation tactics.”
