The New York Times published three articles about Trump in the run-up to the ’24 election. Two Times reporters also published a book: “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success.”
Trump has now brought a $15 Billion defamation suit against the Times and the publisher of the book, in the Middle District of Florida. The complaint is linked to below. The alleged defamatory statements begin on page 45 and run through page 63 of the 85 page complaint.
Many of the challenged statements pertain to Trump’s background in his father’s business, and to Trump’s own business career. While must of the challenged statements contain serious allegations of impropriety, one challenged statement is:
“After experiencing years of sensory overload in jungles around the world, the first thing Burnett’s producers noticed when they arrived on the twenty-sixth floor of Trump Tower was the stink, a musty and moldy carpet smell that seemed to emanate from every corner. As they walked through, with eyes trained to notice small details, they saw the chipped wood on seemingly every piece of furniture.” – Statement (p), page 53.
Text of Trump v New York Times Company, et. al. , 8:25-cv-02487 (MD Fla September 15, 2025)