By Pramila Tripathi

Copyright inquisitr

Donald Trump has done it again. The President’s love for the spotlight is well known and now that he has launched a new $15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times, he has proven that he is right on track with his history of suing media outlets that published anything he did not like.

He took to Truth Social to announce the legal action, insisting the defendants aim to “tarnish his legacy of achievement, destroy his reputation as a successful businessman, and subject him to humiliation and ridicule”.

Trump’s frustration appears to stem largely from the newspaper’s 2024 endorsement of Kamala Harris. As the editorial board wrote, she was “the only patriotic choice for president.” Trump claimed this endorsement featured on the print version’s front page, though that does not appear to be the case. Despite winning the 2024 election himself, Trump clearly can’t let go of the fact that The New York Times supported Harris and not him.

The lawsuit claims major grievances about how The New York Times covered his tenure on The Apprentice and his own unique appeal. The legal complaint declares, “’The Apprentice’ was a success thanks solely to President Trump’s sui generis charisma and unique business acumen.”

Further, it states, “’The Apprentice’ represented the cultural magnitude of President Trump’s singular brilliance, which captured the zeitgeist of our time.” This shows again how Trump is obsessed with himself and wants to portray himself only in a favorable light.

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But The New York Times wasn’t alone in drawing Trump’s ire. The lawsuit also names Penguin Random House and various writers, focusing on the book Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success. Trump argues that neither this book nor the coverage in the Times properly captures his “business genius and charisma.”

He takes particular issue with the portrayal that Mark Burnett, creator of The Apprentice, discovered him. The suit snipes at the suggestion that “Burnett’s decision to work with President Trump on ‘The Apprentice’ was on par with Christopher Columbus discovering the New World circa 1492.”

Trump’s legal team hinted at the idea that his image was essentially manufactured by others, a narrative that, as the lawsuit notes, is repeated in media beyond just The New York Times.

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Public reaction on social media has been vivid and mostly unsympathetic. One X user jabbed, “His combover alludes to his vanity and the deeply flawed man he really is beneath the makeup. A pathetic, petty little narcissist. His only skill is his shameless self promotion.”

Another ridiculed the lawsuit as “just another billionaire tantrum to bully the free press.” The staggering dollar amount attracted ridicule as well, with one comment reading, “Does the next person he sees, get sued for 10 zillion?”

The outcome of Trump’s case remains uncertain. Legal experts point to Supreme Court precedent, which requires proof of “actual malice,” a standard practice for any public figure claiming defamation.

As of September 15, the paperwork filed in Tampa includes a request for a jury trial. Whether Trump’s quest for reputation-restoration succeeds or simply fuels further debate remains to be seen.