President Donald Trump filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit towards the New York Occasions, claiming its reporting broken his private model, media firm, and Solana-based meme coin.
The case, filed Monday in a Florida federal courtroom, intensifies Trump’s authorized offensive towards main US retailers.
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Trump Accuses Occasions of Defamation and Election Bias
Trump’s submitting claims the New York Occasions deserted journalistic requirements and acted as “a full-throated mouthpiece of the Democrat Occasion.” It cites articles, endorsements, and the e book Fortunate Loser by reporters Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner. The lawsuit additionally names 4 Occasions reporters, together with writer Penguin Random Home, which Trump calls “false, malicious, and defamatory.”
He argues the reporting prompted sharp losses to Trump Media & Expertise Group and harm confidence in his crypto ventures. Trump Media, the place the president is almost all shareholder, operates his Fact Social platform and has just lately invested closely in cryptocurrency.
In a Fact Social put up, he stated the “degenerate” Occasions engaged in “a decades-long technique of mendacity” about him, his household, and the MAGA motion.
The grievance accuses the Occasions of election interference, pointing to its front-page endorsement of Kamala Harris throughout the 2024 marketing campaign. It additionally argues the e book’s launch was deliberately timed with the trailer for The Apprentice movie, triggering a pointy drop in Trump Media’s inventory worth.
The lawsuit continues Trump’s aggressive litigation towards media firms. He just lately sued the Wall Avenue Journal and Rupert Murdoch, ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos, and Paramount’s 60 Minutes. Settlements exceeded $15 million, with Paramount paying $16 million in July.
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The Occasions dismissed the claims.
A spokesperson stated, “This lawsuit has no benefit. It’s an try to stifle and discourage impartial reporting. The New York Occasions won’t be deterred by intimidation ways.”
Trump’s Meme Coin Faces Collapse
The lawsuit explicitly hyperlinks reputational harm to his meme coin venture, launched on Solana in January, simply earlier than his inauguration. The official Trump coin initially surged above $40 however has since fallen sharply, now buying and selling round $8.63 with every day volumes close to $175 million—an nearly 80% drop from its early peak.
Melania’s token has carried out even worse, tumbling from launch highs of a number of {dollars} to only $0.20 by mid-September 2025. With every day buying and selling quantity at solely $5.5 million, it displays far weaker liquidity and diminished investor curiosity in comparison with Trump’s coin.
Regardless of the downturn, Trump and his sons reportedly gained $6 billion from the launch of World Liberty Monetary’s WLFI token and an extra $620 million from broader digital asset holdings.
Specialists estimate crypto now makes up 9% of Trump’s $6 billion fortune, whereas actual property has fallen to about half.