Donald Trump’s $15bn defamation lawsuit against The New York Times has been struck down by a judge, giving the president 28 days to try again.
Earlier this week, Mr Trump said it’s his “honour” to sue the newspaper, after it published a report on alleged notes he sent to Jeffrey Epstein.
US District Judge Steven Merryday described Mr Trump’s complaint as a “decidedly improper” attempt to attack an adversary.
A complaint, he said, should “fairly, precisely, directly, soberly, and economically inform the defendants… of the nature and content of the claims”.
“A complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective – not a protected platform to rage against an adversary,” the judge added.
He has given Mr Trump 28 days to submit an amended complaint of no more than 40 pages.
A spokesman for Trump’s legal team said: “President Trump will continue to hold the Fake News accountable through this powerhouse lawsuit against the New York Times, its reporters, and Penguin Random House, in accordance with the judge’s direction on logistics.”
In a separate statement, a spokesperson for the New York Times said: “We welcome the judge’s quick ruling, which recognised that the complaint was a political document rather than a serious legal filing.”
Penguin Random House has not responded to requests for comment.
Anger over Epstein story
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In a post on his social media site Truth Social, Mr Trump announced he was suing the paper, which he described as “one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers”.
The lawsuit – brought in Florida – came after Mr Trump raised the prospect of legal action over its story about alleged notes he had sent to Epstein – a report he said is false.
A lewd birthday message Trump allegedly sent to the convicted sex offender for his 50th birthday in 2003 was published by US Congress days later.
Explainer: What you need to know about Trump and the Epstein files
The collection of birthday tributes include a hand-drawing of a woman’s body, signed “Donald”.
They also contain a picture of Epstein holding an outsized cheque, signed by “DJTRUMP”.
Mr Trump has maintained the note wasn’t written by him, claiming the handwriting and signature do not match his own.
Crackdown on networks
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The president’s fury at media has not been limited to the New York Times, with a late-night talk show hosted Jimmy Kimmel dropped by broadcaster ABC.
That came after Kimmel used his show this week to accuse the Trump administration of “working very hard to capitalise on the murder of Charlie Kirk”.
The president has been among those to try and pin the killing on left-wing extremism, despite police not yet concluding a motive.
The move by Disney-owned ABC has been widely criticised, with the network accused of kowtowing to Mr Trump, who celebrated the decision.
Read more:
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While aboard Air Force One, Mr Trump suggested networks who only give him “bad publicity” could have their licence taken away.
“When a host is on network television, there is a license… I think maybe their license should be taken away,” he said, claiming coverage is 97% negative in some cases.
In a social media post on Friday, Mr Trump’s vice president said Kimmel “wasn’t funny” and that his ratings were “in the toilet”.
“Also the bellyaching from the left over ‘free speech’ after the Biden years fools precisely no one,” JD Vance added.
“There was a point where I’d watch his show nearly every night. He’s a genuinely talented guy, but like so much good and funny in the world the woke thing destroyed it.”
