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Now it's the New York Times' turn
Donald Trump wants to know: The former US president has announced a billion-euro lawsuit against the New York Times. The accusation: libel and defamation. Trump wants to sue for a whopping 15 billion US dollars - a sum that is making headlines not only because of its size.
Trump followed up on his Truth Social platform: The newspaper had systematically spread false information about him, his family, his businesses and his political movements - including America First and Make America Great Again. According to Trump, the New York Times had "become a veritable 'mouthpiece' of the radical left-wing Democratic Party".
The lawsuit is to be filed in the state of Florida. The New York Times has firmly rejected the allegations and sees political calculations behind the lawsuit.
Media as a permanent opponent
This is not new territory for Trump. The ex-president has a long history of legal disputes with media companies. Among other things, he has already sued the broadcasters CBS and ABC - both proceedings ended in settlements worth millions.
But this time the tone is particularly harsh. Trump not only criticizes the reporting itself, but also accuses the New York Times of political influence. He is apparently particularly bothered by the alleged support of Democrat Kamala Harris during the last election campaign. He wrote on Truth Social: "I consider this the biggest illegal campaign contribution of all time."
Whether this plays a legal role is more than questionable. In the USA, the media enjoy very broad protection under the constitution - especially when they report on political figures.
Even more complaints in the bag
The New York Times is just another item on Trump's list. There is currently also a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and its owner Rupert Murdoch. The background to this is an article about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in which a birthday letter from Trump to Epstein is mentioned. Here too, Trump is demanding at least ten billion US dollars.
Trump even uses minor disputes to make grand gestures. For example, the AP news agency was excluded from the government plane - just because it had refused to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America", as Trump had demanded.
Intimidation instead of discussion
You can discuss media criticism. But anyone who throws billions in lawsuits at every critical article is not conducting a debate - they are waging a campaign. Trump's strategy is obvious: he wants to exert pressure, intimidate opponents and control reporting. The lawsuit may be legally shaky - politically it is a signal. But not what a democratic system wants to hear.
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