Trump Files Lawsuit Against *NYT* for Cryptocurrency Losses, Alleging Prejudice and Misrepresentation

Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion lawsuit for defamation against The New York Times, claiming the newspaper has consistently acted as a “mouthpiece” for the Democratic Party and harmed his reputation through its journalism. The lawsuit, lodged in a Florida court, targets the Times Company, four of its journalists, and a book authored by two of them. Trump alleges the Times has engaged in “years of falsehoods” about him, his family, and his business dealings, including his involvement in cryptocurrency. He argues this coverage has damaged his public image and business interests, notably those linked to his media ventures and crypto projects.

One of the lawsuit’s focal points is the assertion that the Times’ reporting harmed the value of Trump’s meme coin project built on Solana. The complaint claims that articles and a book released in late 2024 damaged the project’s reputation, especially within Florida, leading to financial losses. The Trump token, which debuted in January 2025, quickly reached a fully diluted valuation of $73 billion before tumbling more than 88% to $8.6 billion. Still, Trump’s larger crypto undertakings are said to have significantly boosted his wealth, including a recent $6 billion increase following the launch of trading for WLFI, the main governance token of World Liberty Financial, his family’s crypto platform.

The New York Times has rejected the accusations, with a spokesperson describing the lawsuit as lacking “any valid legal basis” and characterizing it as an effort to silence independent reporting. The spokesperson reaffirmed the publication’s dedication to the First Amendment and its pursuit of accuracy. This is not Trump’s first legal move against news organizations; in recent months, he has brought lawsuits against or reached agreements with other media outlets, such as Paramount regarding a 60 Minutes episode with Kamala Harris and The Wall Street Journal over its reporting on a 2003 note allegedly written by Trump to Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump has frequently taken legal action against media organizations, often presenting these battles as responses to what he sees as unfair or defamatory coverage. On Truth Social, he labeled the Times as “degenerate” and insisted that “the lies, slanders, and defamation must end immediately.” He also mentioned previous intentions to sue the Times for its stories about the Epstein note, which he has consistently denied authoring.

Experts in media law and organizations that monitor journalism have expressed unease about the potential implications of such lawsuits, warning that they may be used to scare journalists and discourage investigative reporting. Although the outcome of the New York Times case is still unknown, the dispute underscores the ongoing conflict between politicians and the press, especially when high-profile lawsuits are involved.