President Donald Trump’s $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times just got torched—and not subtly. In a sharply worded ruling Friday, a federal judge dismissed the case, calling the complaint more of a political stunt than a legitimate legal filing.
“A complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally or the functional equivalent of the Hyde Park Speakers’ Corner,” wrote Judge Steven Merryday of the Middle District of Florida.
Trump filed the suit claiming The New York Times had conspired to publish a series of “defamatory” stories and books intended to damage his reputation ahead of the 2024 election. But the court wasn’t buying it—not even close.
Judge Merryday went on to slam the filing as bloated and lacking legal merit. “Although lawyers receive a modicum of expressive latitude in pleading the claim of a client, the complaint in this action extends far beyond the outer bound of that latitude,” he wrote.
In plain English: this wasn’t a lawsuit, it was a rant.
The judge gave Trump’s legal team 28 days to rewrite the complaint into something that even remotely resembles a viable case—or drop it.
Michael Schmidt, a New York Times reporter named in the suit, made it clear the paper won’t be intimidated. “We’re not backing down,” he said.
The case was seen by many as just the latest in a string of aggressive legal maneuvers by Trump aimed at discrediting media outlets he sees as enemies. But this one appears to have backfired—loudly.
The lawsuit accused the paper of orchestrating an elaborate smear campaign, but the ruling leaves Trump with a choice: come back with something that holds up in court, or walk away. Given the tone of the decision, the clock is ticking—and not in his favor.
For now, The New York Times stands firm. And Trump is left with a scorched filing and a bench slap that reads more like a takedown than a legal opinion.
