NY Times defends reporting against Trump's defamation claims

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Courthouse News Service

September 16, 2025


(CN) — The New York Times struck back Tuesday against President Donald Trump, who claims the paper defamed him during last year’s election season. “This lawsuit has no merit. It lacks any legitimate legal claims and instead is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting," a spokesperson for the newspaper said in a statement.

“The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics. We will continue to pursue the facts without fear or favor and stand up for journalists’ First Amendment right to ask questions on behalf of the American people.” In Monday’s lawsuit, Trump argued the newspaper timed stories containing disparaging statements about him to come out at the height of election season to inflict maximum electoral damage and economic harm against him.

Trump claims that to win the presidency in 2024, he had to overcome “persistent election interference from the legacy media,” which he said was led by The New York Times, as “a full-throated mouthpiece of the Democrat Party.” In his complaint, Trump points to the newspaper’s front-page endorsement of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and an opinion piece titled “The only patriotic choice for president.” He describes it as “deranged.”

Trump names Times reporters Susanne Craig, Russ Buettner, Peter Baker and Michael S. Schmidt as defendants. Penguin Random House was also named for publishing a book titled “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success,” which Buettner and Craig co-wrote.

Read more: https://courthousenews.com/ny-times-defends-reporting-against-trumps-defamation-claims/

[Prairie Gates]

1. You can be a Harvard or you can be a Columbia

History will judge.

[johnnyfins]

2. NYT will cave.

[Teacher of the Year]

3. I don't know.... the discovery process would be brutal for trump-he sued as a citizen so his immunity is gone

He will now have to prove all his allegations, UNDER OATH, that the Times hurt his business, his reputations, caused all this "damage" that is in his law suit. Now he has to prove the damage-every single bit.

[johnnyfins]

4. I would hope that they would drag out

Every dirty detail of his degenerate existence, but then the almighty dollar comes in to play...

[reACTIONary]

7. I doubt it will get that far....

.... I think it will be tossed as not having any merit.

[Teacher of the Year]

11. They have been accused of slander and a bunch of other stuff.

They have the right to have him prove it or take it all back.

[reACTIONary]

6. Nope.

[IbogaProject]

5. Defamation requires the newspaper knew the information was false at time of publication

That is a tall order with all the accuations against Cheeto.

[reACTIONary]

8. And actual malice.

[reACTIONary]

9. Here is the Times reporting ....

.... on the lawsuit - no paywall.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/business/media/trump-lawsuit-new-york-times.html?unlocked_article_code=1.mk8.sPOF.2wlSNg6Nh03H&smid=url-share

A Times spox is quoted: “This lawsuit has no merit. It lacks any legitimate legal claims and instead is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting. The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics. We will continue to pursue the facts without fear or favor and stand up for journalists’ First Amendment right to ask questions on behalf of the American people.”

The Times publisher called it “frivolous,” and warned that “everyone, regardless of their politics, should be troubled by the growing anti-press campaign led by President Trump and his administration.”

The book publisher, also a defendant, said “This is a meritless lawsuit. Penguin Random House stands by the book and its authors and will continue to uphold the values of the First Amendment that are fundamental to our role as a book publisher.”

[Pas-de-Calais]

10. Dear Leader cannot stand the truth about him out there

So
He
Sues
To
Stop
It