WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Monday he would file a US$15 billion lawsuit for defamation and libel against the New York Times, days after the newspaper released articles on his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The statement comes after Trump threatened last week to sue the New York Times for its reporting related to a sexually suggestive note and drawing given to Epstein.
“Today, I have the Great Honor of bringing a $15 Billion Dollar Defamation and Libel Lawsuit against The New York Times,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
The New York Times did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.
Trump accused the paper of lying about him, his family and businesses, as well as Republican-led movements and ideologies such as the America First Movement and Make America Great Again, or MAGA.
The suit would be filed in Florida, he added, but gave no further details.