Former US President Donald Trump has declared he is expanding his defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, following the publication of an unfavourable opinion poll. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated that his concerns regarding the poll would be incorporated into the existing legal action against the newspaper.
Trump's Allegations Over Poll Results
Trump specifically targeted the Times Siena Poll, which he described as "always tremendously negative" towards him, particularly in the lead-up to the 2024 election. He asserted in his post: "The Times Siena Poll, which is always tremendously negative to me, especially just before the Election of 2024, where I won in a Landslide, will be added to my lawsuit against The Failing New York Times."
He further demanded that the newspaper preserve all records related to the poll's methodology, accusing it of producing "fake results" skewed towards Democrats. Trump emphasised: "Our lawyers have demanded that they keep all Records, and how they 'computed' these fake results – Not just the fact that it was heavily skewed toward Democrats. They will be held fully responsible for all of their Radical Left lies and wrongdoing!"
Escalating Rhetoric Against Media
In subsequent social media posts, Trump intensified his criticism, labelling The New York Times and other outlets as printing "knowingly false" polls. He claimed they suffer from "TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME (TDS)" and derided their election coverage as "so bad, and so wrong," adding that they "never get called out for it."
Trump concluded: "But I am calling them out with the lawsuit that I have filed which is making its way through the Courts. They have to pay a price for FAKE AND FRAUDULENT NEWS and, hopefully, in the not too distant future, they will!"
Background of the Defamation Lawsuit
This development follows a defamation lawsuit Trump initiated last year against The New York Times, book publisher Penguin Random House, and two reporters, seeking $15 billion in damages. The original suit was dismissed in September, but Trump filed an amended complaint in October.
The legal action, filed in federal court in Florida, centres on articles published by The New York Times that discussed Trump's role on the television show The Apprentice and content from the book Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father's Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success by Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner.
Key Arguments in the Case
The lawsuit contends that describing Trump as having been "discovered" for The Apprentice is factually inaccurate, as he was already well-known prior to the show. Additionally, it challenges reporting in the book that characterised Trump's inheritance from his father, Fred C. Trump, as stemming from "fraudulent tax evasion schemes" and alleged his father manipulated federal programmes for war veterans to build wealth.
Trump's move to include the poll in this lawsuit marks a significant escalation in his ongoing legal and media battles, highlighting tensions between political figures and press outlets in the United States.
