Donald Trump has been on both sides of a long list of defamation cases. As a defendant, he owes roughly $88 million from two federal jury verdicts won by the writer E. Jean Carroll, both now working their way toward the U.S. Supreme Court. As a plaintiff, he has filed a series of high-dollar defamation lawsuits against major news organizations during his second term, seeking tens of billions of dollars combined. Most of those media suits have been dismissed or are facing dismissal motions. One, against ABC News, produced a $15 million settlement. Taken together, Trump’s defamation lawsuits form the most active docket of libel litigation ever tied to a sitting president.
The E. Jean Carroll Verdicts
The two Carroll cases are the reason Trump faces any defamation liability at all. Carroll, a former magazine columnist, accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in 1996. Trump denied the account and called it a “made up scam.” Carroll sued twice in the Southern District of New York, and both cases went to a jury.
The $5 Million Verdict
Carroll’s 2022 suit combined a battery claim for the 1996 assault with a defamation claim over Trump’s October 2022 Truth Social posts denying her account. After a nine-day trial in May 2023, the jury unanimously found that Trump had sexually abused Carroll (though not raped her) and defamed her. The total award was $5 million, split between compensatory and punitive damages on both counts.
The Second Circuit affirmed on December 30, 2024.1Justia. Carroll v. Trump, No. 23-793 (2d Cir. 2024)2SCOTUSblog. Court Puts Off Deciding Whether to Consider $5 Million Verdict Against Trump Yet Again3SCOTUSblog. Trump v. Carroll
The $83.3 Million Verdict
Carroll’s other lawsuit, filed in 2020, was purely a defamation case. It targeted statements Trump made in June 2019, while he was president, denying Carroll’s rape allegation and attacking her credibility. A jury in January 2024 awarded her $83.3 million in compensatory and punitive damages.1Justia. Carroll v. Trump, No. 23-793 (2d Cir. 2024)
A unanimous Second Circuit panel upheld the verdict in September 2025.4New York Times. E. Jean Carroll Trump Lawsuits2SCOTUSblog. Court Puts Off Deciding Whether to Consider $5 Million Verdict Against Trump Yet Again
Nothing Has Been Paid Yet
Carroll has not collected any of the combined $88 million. In May 2026 the Second Circuit granted Trump a stay of payment on the $83.3 million judgment while the Supreme Court decides whether to take the case, conditioned on Trump increasing his existing bond by about $7.46 million to cover accrued interest. That brings the bond to nearly $100 million, according to Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan.5The Guardian. Appeals Court Delays Trump Payment in E. Jean Carroll Case
Trump has also tried, without success, to have the United States substituted as the defendant under the Westfall Act on the theory that his 2019 statements were made within the scope of his presidential duties. The Second Circuit rejected that request in August 2025 as too late, arriving after the verdict.6Law360. Trump Gets Explanation of 2nd Circ. Refusal to Sub in Feds He filed a motion in May 2026 seeking to stay the mandate so the Supreme Court can review the immunity and Westfall Act questions.7Fox News. Trump v. Carroll Motion to Stay the Mandate
The ABC News Settlement
Trump’s clearest defamation win came from ABC News. In December 2024, ABC and anchor George Stephanopoulos settled a libel suit Trump filed over a March 2024 on-air interview in which Stephanopoulos said repeatedly that Trump had been “found liable for rape.” The Carroll jury had found sexual abuse and defamation, but had specifically declined to find rape.8Politico. Trump ABC Stephanopoulos Settlement
ABC agreed to pay $15 million to a future Trump presidential foundation and museum, plus $1 million toward his attorney fees. The network and Stephanopoulos published a statement saying they “regret” the remarks, and an editor’s note was appended to the online article. Trump dismissed the case with prejudice.9The Guardian. ABC George Stephanopoulos Trump $15 Million The deal was reached one day after a magistrate judge ordered both Trump and Stephanopoulos to sit for four-hour depositions.8Politico. Trump ABC Stephanopoulos Settlement
Trump’s Suits Against News Outlets
After the ABC settlement, Trump filed a run of very large defamation suits against major news organizations. Every one has run into the same wall: the actual malice standard from New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, which requires a public figure to prove a defendant published a false statement knowing it was false or with reckless disregard for the truth. None of the media suits has survived a motion to dismiss on the merits, though several are still alive after being refiled.
New York Times and Penguin Random House: $15 Billion
In September 2025 Trump filed a $15 billion suit in the Middle District of Florida against the New York Times, Penguin Random House, and Times reporters Susanne Craig, Russ Buettner, Peter Baker, and Michael S. Schmidt. The target was the book Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success by Craig and Buettner, along with related Times articles.10New York Times. Trump Lawsuit New York Times
Judge Steven Merryday struck the 85-page complaint on September 19, 2025, for violating federal rules requiring a “short and plain statement,” calling it “tedious and burdensome” and giving Trump 28 days to refile at no more than 40 pages.11Democracy Docket. Judge Strikes Trump New York Times Defamation Lawsuit12CNBC. Trump New York Times Lawsuit Merryday Trump refiled on October 16, 2025, trimmed to 40 pages and dropping Schmidt as a defendant. The refiled complaint alleges, among other things, that the Times falsely stated Trump was “discovered” as a potential host for The Apprentice, described his inheritance as a product of “fraudulent tax evasion schemes,” and claimed his father Fred Trump built his fortune by “twisting the rules” of federal programs for World War II veterans.13The Guardian. Trump New York Times Defamation Complaint The Times called the suit “without merit,” and executive editor Joseph Kahn said the paper had “no intention of settling.”14The Hill. Trump Sues New York Times The case is still open, with the court having ordered mediation.15Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. Trump v. New York Times Company
Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch: $10 Billion
Trump’s $10 billion suit against the Wall Street Journal, News Corp, Dow Jones, CEO Robert Thomson, Rupert Murdoch, and two Journal reporters concerns a Journal article featuring a birthday card allegedly signed by Trump and addressed to Jeffrey Epstein. Trump contends the card is fabricated.16Reuters. Trump Refiles $10 Billion Defamation Suit Against WSJ Over Report on Epstein Ties
U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles dismissed the first complaint in April 2026, ruling Trump had failed to argue the article was published with “the intent to be malicious,” but gave him leave to amend.17NPR. Judge Dismisses Trump Lawsuit Over Epstein Letter WSJ Story Murdoch Trump refiled on May 27, 2026, adding an allegation that Murdoch told him he would “handle” the story after Trump called to complain before publication.18New York Times. Trump WSJ Defamation Suit $10 Billion On June 3, 2026, the Journal moved to dismiss the amended complaint with prejudice, arguing it still fails to establish actual malice, and sought attorney fees under Florida’s anti-SLAPP law.19Courthouse News Service. The Wall Street Journal Seeks Second Dismissal of Trump Defamation Lawsuit
CNN: $475 Million
Trump’s oldest active media suit dates to October 2022, when he sued CNN for $475 million over the network’s use of the phrase “Big Lie” to describe his claims that the 2020 election was rigged. He argued the phrase was meant to associate him with Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.20Politico. Court Rejects Trump Big Lie Defamation Lawsuit
A federal district judge dismissed the case in July 2023, ruling the phrase was opinion rather than a false statement of fact. In November 2025 a unanimous Eleventh Circuit panel affirmed, holding that CNN’s use of “Big Lie” was “First Amendment-protected opinion” that was not “readily capable of being proven true or false.”20Politico. Court Rejects Trump Big Lie Defamation Lawsuit In June 2026, Trump’s lawyers asked the Supreme Court for a 60-day extension to file a certiorari petition.21Bloomberg. Trump Will Ask Supreme Court to Revive His $475 Million CNN Suit
BBC: $10 Billion
In December 2025, Trump sued the BBC for $10 billion in the Southern District of Florida over an October 2024 episode of the documentary series Panorama, alleging a “bad edit” of the program defamed him.22CNN. Trump BBC Lawsuit Libel Media $10 Billion
The BBC moved to dismiss on March 16, 2026, arguing the documentary did not harm Trump’s reputation and pointing to his subsequent reelection. Judge Roy K. Altman denied the BBC’s request to stay discovery while the dismissal motion is pending, allowing Trump’s team to gather evidence on jurisdictional questions. The case has grown contentious: Trump’s lawyers have moved to have Judge Altman recused, and the judge is reportedly weighing sanctions against them for missing deadlines.23Daily Business Review. Miami Judge Allows Discovery in Trump’s $10 Billion Defamation Suit Against BBC
Washington Post and the Iowa Poll Case
Two other suits fill out the picture. Trump’s 2020 campaign sued the Washington Post over two opinion columns tied to coverage of Russian interference in the 2016 election. A federal judge dismissed the case in February 2023, ruling the campaign had not adequately pleaded actual malice for one column and that the other was protected opinion.24First Amendment Watch. Federal Judge Dismisses the Trump Campaign’s Defamation Lawsuit Against the Washington Post
In December 2024, Trump sued the Des Moines Register, its parent company Gannett, and pollster J. Ann Selzer over a pre-election Iowa Poll that showed Kamala Harris leading Trump 47% to 44%. Trump won Iowa by 13 points. The suit frames the poll as “fraud and election interference” under the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act.25Iowa Capital Dispatch. Trump’s Lawsuit Against Des Moines Register Pollster Heads to State Court After jurisdictional back-and-forth between state and federal courts, the case is at the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, representing Selzer, has called it a strategic lawsuit against public participation.26Des Moines Register. Donald Trump Appeals Ruling in His Iowa Poll Lawsuit Against the Des Moines Register
Why the Media Suits Keep Failing: The Actual Malice Standard
The through-line in the media cases is New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964), which requires a public-figure plaintiff to prove a defendant published a falsehood knowingly or with reckless disregard for the truth. That standard has driven the dismissals and skeptical rulings in Trump’s suits against CNN, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal, and it looms over the New York Times and BBC cases.
Trump has long said he wants to change it. At a 2016 campaign rally he said he wanted to “open up our libel laws” to make it easier to sue and win against news organizations. Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch have written or joined opinions questioning whether Sullivan has a constitutional basis, with Thomas calling for reconsideration in opinions in 2019 and 2021.27Knight First Amendment Institute. The Enduring Significance of New York Times v. Sullivan
A possible vehicle is pending. In December 2025, attorney Jay Sekulow filed a petition on behalf of Alan Dershowitz asking the Supreme Court to revisit Sullivan in a defamation case against CNN. The petition calls the actual malice rule an “impregnable fortress that protects media irresponsibility.”28The Well News. Supreme Court Urged to Reconsider Sullivan Landmark Press Freedom Ruling As of June 2026 the petition remains pending, with a conference distribution scheduled for June 18, 2026.29SCOTUSblog. Dershowitz v. Cable News Network, Inc. If the Court granted review and weakened the standard, every one of Trump’s pending media suits would be affected.