Trump Claims Court Win as Judge Keeps $15 Billion Times Suit Alive

Trump says a federal judge rejected The New York Times bid to dismiss his defamation case and ordered him to refile an updated complaint detailing claims of actual malice.

First Published: July 27, 2026, 4:05 PM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump said a federal judge refused to throw out his $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, the newspaper with a market value of just under $12 billion.

U.S. District Court Judge Steven Merryday denied the newspaper’s request for dismissal and called for an updated complaint, Trump said, framing the order as vindication after a decade of disputed coverage. The suit values alleged damages higher than the entire market capitalization of the outlet itself, according to townhall.com.

“As we requested, the Highly Respected Judge has called for an updated complaint, which will lay out, in extreme detail, all the ways in which The Times has repeatedly and consistently acted, with actual malice in defaming me, my family, our Great MAGA Movement, and America, itself,” Trump said on truthsocial.

The order keeps alive one of the largest defamation claims ever pressed by a sitting president against a national newspaper, a case that tests where courts draw the line between protected reporting and actionable falsehood.

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “BREAKING NEWS: The Failing New York Times, after 10 years of harassment, slander, and libel, just failed again in their desperate attempt to have our powerful Defamation Lawsuit against them dropped. As we requested, the Highly Respected Judge has called for an updated complaint, which will lay out, in extreme detail, all the ways in which The Times has repeatedly and consistently acted, with actual malice in defaming me, my family, our Great MAGA Movement, and America, itself. We will continue to hold The Times and their “comrades” in the Mainstream Media accountable for publishing, promoting, and dealing in Fake News. Thank you for your attention to this matter! Trump” on July 27, 2026 at 7:47 PM ET.

This is the first message released by Trump today. On average, Trump produces about 15 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025.

The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 22 of his 471 posts over the last 30 days focused on the topic of Legal.

Merryday first dismissed the original complaint in September 2025, ruling the earlier filing improper and impermissible, according to townhall.com. Trump refiled an amended version in October 2025, and the newspaper again sought to have the action tossed. The latest order requires Trump’s legal team to submit a tightened complaint rather than ending the litigation, according to townhall.com.

The stakes cut in opposite directions for the two sides. A live case forces the newspaper to spend on defense and confront discovery. Trump gains a platform to press claims of bias against a marquee target. The $15 billion figure would eclipse the outlet’s whole valuation, according to townhall.com, a gap that turns any eventual judgment into an existential threat rather than a routine cost.

For the average US reader, the case sets a marker for how far a public figure can push a libel claim under the actual-malice standard. That rule requires proof a publisher knew a statement was false or acted with reckless disregard. The standard, set by the Supreme Court, shapes what newspapers, broadcasters, and websites feel free to publish about the powerful.

This has happened before. Trump has sued or threatened major media companies repeatedly, and several outlets have paid to settle rather than litigate. Those outcomes shaped how newsrooms weigh legal exposure against aggressive coverage.

Merryday will decide whether the refiled complaint survives a renewed challenge. A date for the next ruling has not been announced.

Presidents clashing with the press is an old American story. Theodore Roosevelt, who served from 1901 to 1909, pushed the federal government to prosecute Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World for libel in 1909 over reporting on the Panama Canal purchase. A federal court dismissed the criminal case, and the Supreme Court affirmed that dismissal in 1911, leaving the newspaper untouched and its editor free.