The New York Times is pushing back after President Donald Trump celebrated a recent court decision in his ongoing defamation lawsuit against the newspaper, arguing that the ruling was not the legal victory the president portrayed.
The dispute escalated Tuesday after Trump praised the latest development in the $15 billion lawsuit, which survived an effort by the newspaper to have the case dismissed.
On Monday, a Florida judge gave Trump’s legal team until Aug. 27 to update and refile its complaint. The ruling marks the second time the president’s attorneys have been granted an opportunity to amend the lawsuit.
Trump quickly responded on Truth Social, portraying the court’s decision as a setback for the newspaper.
“BREAKING NEWS: The Failing New York Times, after 10 years of harassment, slander, and libel, just failed again in their desperate attempt to have our powerful Defamation Lawsuit against them dropped,” Trump wrote.
The president went on to say that the judge had called for an updated complaint that would describe “in extreme detail” what he characterized as repeated acts of defamation against himself, his family, the MAGA movement, and the United States.
“As we requested, the Highly Respected Judge has called for an updated complaint, which will lay out, in extreme detail, all the ways in which The Times has repeatedly and consistently acted, with actual malice in defaming me, my family, our Great MAGA Movement, and America, itself,” Trump wrote.
He also vowed to continue pursuing legal action against the newspaper and what he described as its allies in the mainstream media.
“We will continue to hold The Times and their ‘comrades’ in the Mainstream Media accountable for publishing, promoting, and dealing in Fake News. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
The New York Times responded publicly on Tuesday, rejecting the president’s characterization of the court ruling.
The newspaper, which recently clashed with the Trump administration after federal prosecutors in New York subpoenaed four of its reporters, issued a statement through spokesman Charlie Stadtlander disputing Trump’s claims.
“To the contrary, the judge simply gives him yet another chance to draft a complaint that demonstrates any legal merit,” Stadtlander said.
The latest court action follows an earlier setback for Trump’s legal team. The lawsuit was initially dismissed in September after a judge sharply criticized the filing, saying it had been used as “a public forum for vituperation and invective.”
Despite dismissing the case at that time, the judge allowed Trump’s attorneys an opportunity to amend the complaint. Monday’s order gives the president’s legal team another chance to revise its filing before the new Aug. 27 deadline.
The exchange marks the latest chapter in the legal battle between Trump and The New York Times, with both sides offering sharply different interpretations of the court’s latest decision as the case moves forward.
[READ MORE: Trump to Deliver Tribute at Lindsey Graham Funeral in Washington]
