Federal Judge Dismisses Trump's $15B Defamation Lawsuit Against New York Times

A federal judge in Florida dismissed President Donald Trump's $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, ruling that the complaint was excessively long, filled with irrelevant political rhetoric, and did not meet legal standards. The judge criticized the 85-page filing for containing extensive praise of Trump's business ventures and unrelated media appearances, with the actual defamation claims only appearing near the end. Trump was given 28 days to file a revised complaint limited to 40 pages. The lawsuit accused the Times and several reporters of publishing falsehoods that damaged Trump's reputation and alleged the paper acted as a Democratic Party mouthpiece engaged in election interference. The New York Times called the lawsuit meritless and an attempt to stifle independent journalism. Trump, who has intensified his antagonism toward the media since returning to the presidency, described the case as a defense against years of defamatory reporting.