NYT vows to defeat Trump's $15 billion defamation suit in court
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The New York Times says it will fight Donald Trump's $15 billion defamation lawsuit, calling it baseless and framing the case as a test of long-standing First Amendment protections for the press.
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Axios Media Trends Live streams an interview with NYT's executive director Joseph Kahn. (Screengrab)
Axios reported on Friday that The New York Times is preparing to contest US President Donald Trump's $15 billion defamation lawsuit, with the paper's executive editor Joseph Kahn expressing confidence in victory.
Speaking at the Axios Media Trends Live event, Kahn rejected Trump's claims in strong terms. "Well he's wrong on the facts. He's wrong on the law and we'll fight it, and we'll win," he told Axios' Sara Fischer.
Kahn also argued that it is inappropriate for presidents, current or former, to try to muzzle the press through litigation. "I don't think the president of the United States should be suing media organizations for libel, full stop. I think that's wrong," he said.
"But I especially think it's wrong when he's wrong on the facts, when he's wrong about the story, when he misunderstands the protections that the law offers to media organizations under the Supreme Court's interpretation of libel law, and I think it's incumbent on us to fight that to the end."
The lawsuit, filed in Florida earlier this week, claims the Times functioned as a "full-throated mouthpiece of the Democrat Party" and spread defamatory reporting that harmed Trump's reputation and business interests. It specifically points to stories and works by Times reporters, including those covering his business practices and post-presidency activities.
Legal context
The case will test the enduring power of New York Times v. Sullivan (1964), the Supreme Court decision that established the "actual malice" standard.
Under this precedent, public officials and figures such as Trump must prove that a publication either knowingly published false information or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.
Legal experts note that this bar is intentionally high to protect press freedom, making successful lawsuits against major media outlets rare.
Read more: Trump sues WSJ for $10bln over Epstein birthday letter report
Trump has pursued a string of defamation cases against media companies in recent years, part of a broader pattern of using the courts to challenge critical reporting.
While many of these cases have faltered, the sheer scale of the $15 billion claim reflects his willingness to confront leading news organizations directly.
For the NYT, the case is about more than just its own reporting; it is a battle over whether US libel law and First Amendment protections for journalism will hold under political pressure.
