President-elect Donald Trump is wasting no time making good on his promise to take on the mainstream media, filing a sweeping defamation lawsuit against several high-profile outlets including the New York Times and CBS. The legal action, which seeks billions of dollars in damages, alleges that these news organizations engaged in a coordinated campaign to “defame and disparage” Trump during the 2024 election. The lawsuit marks the first major salvo in what Trump has described as his mission to hold the press accountable for its biased coverage.
🚨 BREAKING: President-elect Trump sues New York Times, CBS and other major media outlets for $10B – The Guardian
Trump’s team is alleging “false and defamatory statements” and called the New York Times a “full-throated mouthpiece of the Democratic party” waging… pic.twitter.com/XFQUSNxFB0
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 15, 2024
According to The Guardian, the New York Times is at the heart of the lawsuit, following previous cease-and-desist letters from Trump’s legal team. The 19-page filing accuses the Times of being a “full-throated mouthpiece of the Democratic Party,” engaged in “industrial-scale libel against political opponents.” Trump’s attorneys argue that the paper intentionally sought to tarnish his reputation and damage the Trump brand, known for its associations with “excellence, luxury, and success” across various industries. The suit singles out four Times reporters — Peter Baker, Michael S. Schmidt, Susanne Craig, and Russ Buettner — who are accused of publishing “false and defamatory statements” in the lead-up to the election.
Particularly egregious, according to Trump’s legal team, were two articles published by the Times just before Election Day. One, titled “For Trump, a Lifetime of Scandals Heads Toward a Moment of Judgment,” painted Trump as mired in controversy. The second, “As Election Nears, Kelly Warns Trump Would Rule Like a Dictator,” included inflammatory rhetoric suggesting Trump’s authoritarian tendencies. Both articles were later included in a book by Craig and Buettner titled Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success. The reporters and their publisher, Penguin Random House, have publicly defended their reporting.
Trump’s lawsuit also targets CBS News, accusing the network of “malicious and deceptive” coverage aimed at undermining his candidacy. The complaint focuses on a “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, which Trump’s lawyers claim was deceptively edited to boost Harris’s image and sway voters. “This was partisan voter interference, plain and simple,” the lawsuit states, accusing CBS of engaging in “substantial news distortion.” CBS has dismissed the claims as baseless, vowing to “vigorously defend” itself in court.
The legal moves come after a heated election season in which Trump repeatedly clashed with the media, calling them the “enemy within” and accusing them of colluding with Democrats to influence the vote. Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita has also taken legal action, sending a demand letter to the Daily Beast for a story alleging he pocketed $22 million from the Trump campaign. While the outlet later issued a correction, Trump’s team insists the narrative remains defamatory.
Not surprisingly, the lawsuit has sparked backlash from mainstream media outlets and journalist organizations. Groups like Reporters Without Borders have condemned Trump’s rhetoric, arguing that his attacks on the press threaten the very foundation of American democracy. “Attacking the press is really an attack on American citizens’ right to know,” the organization stated following Trump’s election victory. “The new administration must change its tune with the media and take concrete steps to protect journalists and foster a robust, pluralistic news environment.”
With this latest legal offensive, Trump appears determined to keep his promise of retribution against the media he believes wronged him. Whether his efforts succeed in court remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the president-elect is gearing up for another fight, and this time, it’s against the very institutions tasked with holding power to account.
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