The New York Times’ CEO vowed to fight Donald Trump’s $15 billion lawsuit in a fiery new interview Wednesday, warning the president is wielding an “anti-press playbook.”
Meredith Kopit Levien slammed the lawsuit as baseless in her first public comments since Trump announced he was taking action against the newspaper.
“The lawsuit has no merit. It lacks any legitimate legal claims,” Levien said at a Financial Times conference. “I believe its purpose is to stifle independent journalism, to deter the kind of fact-based reporting that the Times and other institutions are known for.”
“The New York Times will not be cowed by this,” Levien added.
The legacy media’s chief compared the lawsuit to other countries with corruption.
“There is an anti-press playbook at this point . . . If you look at countries like Turkey and Hungary and India, those countries have elections but they also really work to quash opposition to the regime.”
The Times isn’t the first outlet Trump has taken to court. Levien’s charge that the president is deploying an “anti-press playbook” comes after a string of lawsuits targeting major media organizations, including CBS News, ABC News, and The Wall Street Journal.
“What has that anti-press playbook looked like in those places? It’s harassment of journalists, it’s discrediting of independent journalism. And it looks like what we’re seeing here,” she described.
“The New York Times will not be cowed by this.”
On Monday, Trump announced via Truth Social he would launch a defamation and libel lawsuit against the legacy publication.
“Today, I have the Great Honor of bringing a $15 Billion Dollar Defamation and Libel Lawsuit against The New York Times, one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the History of our Country,” the president wrote.
Trump continued to bash the publication as a “mouthpiece” for the Democratic party after it endorsed presidential nominee Kamala Harris. He also accused the outlet of “smearing” him and his family.
“I am PROUD to hold this once respected ‘rag’ responsible, as we are doing with the Fake News Networks,“ Trump wrote. ”The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!”
The Times published a response the next day, claiming the lawsuit lacked merit or “any legitimate legal claims.”
“The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics,” the statement read. “We will continue to pursue the facts without fear or favor and stand up for journalists’ First Amendment right to ask questions on behalf of the American people.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
While legal experts have slammed Trump’s lawsuit as meritless and potentially encroaching on the First Amendment, Trump has frequently incited legal battles with prominent media outlets, usually resulting in massive settlements.
In December 2024, ABC News agreed to pay $16 million to settle a defamation lawsuit stemming from anchor George Stephanopoulos’ misstatements. Seven months later, CBS News’ parent company Paramount reached its own $16 million settlement over a lawsuit against 60 Minutes.
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