US President Donald Trump said on Monday (local time) that he has filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the American daily The New York Times. Announcing the move on X, he accused the publication of running a decades-long campaign of “lies” against him and working as a “virtual mouthpiece for the Radical Left Democrat Party.”

Trump wrote, “Today, I have the Great Honour of bringing a $15 Billion Dollar Defamation and Libel Lawsuit against The New York Times, one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the History of our Country, becoming a virtual ‘mouthpiece’ for the Radical Left Democrat Party.”

The Republican leader also hit out at the newspaper’s support for former Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic rival in the 2024 race. He alleged that the paper’s prominent coverage of her amounted to “the single largest illegal campaign contribution, ever.”

He further accused the Times of publishing false reports about him, his family, his businesses, and the America First and Make America Great Again (MAGA) movements. Trump claimed this aligned the paper with other US media outlets like ABC and CBS, which he said had also targeted him unfairly.

In his post, Trump said, “I am PROUD to hold this once respected ‘rag’ responsible, as we are doing with the Fake News Networks such as our successful litigation against George Slopadopoulos/ABC/Disney, and 60 Minutes/CBS/Paramount.”

He added that those outlets had “settled for record amounts” after knowingly smearing him through what he described as “a highly sophisticated system of document and visual alteration.”

Trump said the lawsuit was being filed in Florida and stressed that “The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, now!” He ended his statement with his signature rallying cry: “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

This lawsuit follows a history of Trump’s legal action against US media houses. ABC News earlier reached an out-of-court settlement with him, reportedly agreeing to a $15 million donation to his future presidential library. Similarly, CBS parent company Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle a dispute tied to an interview with Kamala Harris in 2024.

Both settlements, like the current lawsuit against The New York Times, revolved around Trump’s claims of false reporting and unfair coverage.