Payam Javan: U.S. President Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and four of its journalists, court documents show. The complaint, lodged Monday in U.S. District Court in Florida, accuses the publication of publishing articles and a book ahead of the 2024 election that Trump claims were part of a “decades-long pattern” of malicious defamation. The filing alleges the reporters acted negligently and knowingly published false information with “reckless disregard” for the truth.

Trump announced the lawsuit on his Truth Social platform, accusing the newspaper of becoming a “mouthpiece for the Radical Left Democrat Party.” He argued that the coverage amounted to deliberate attempts to damage his reputation as he pursued another presidential run. The New York Times has not yet issued a public response to the filing.

This legal action adds to Trump’s growing list of battles with media outlets. In July, he filed a $10 billion defamation suit against The Wall Street Journal and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, over reporting on his ties to financier Jeffrey Epstein. The lawsuits underscore Trump’s long-standing adversarial relationship with the press, which he has frequently branded as “fake news” throughout his political career.