Trump Expands Defamation Lawsuit Against New York Times Over Unfavorable Poll, Suggests Criminalizing Surveys
President Donald Trump announced he is expanding his existing $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times to include an unfavorable opinion poll. The New York Times/Siena University poll showed Trump with only 40% approval and found nearly half of voters believe he has made the country worse off. Trump called the poll results 'fake' and 'fraudulent' on Truth Social and suggested that unfavorable surveys should be criminalized. This expansion adds to his September 2025 defamation suit against the Times, which accused the paper of serving as a 'mouthpiece' for Democrats. The move represents an escalation of Trump's legal campaign against media outlets publishing critical coverage, with press freedom organizations warning of constitutional implications for both free press and free speech rights.
“The Times Siena Poll...will be added to my lawsuit against The Failing New York Times. These fake polls should be illegal!” — Trump's Truth Social post responding to a New York Times/Siena poll showing 40% approval rating and nearly half of voters saying he has made the country worse off. The post both announced the lawsuit expansion and called for criminalizing unfavorable surveys.
Analysis Feed
AI commentaryThis event represents a significant escalation in Trump's use of the legal system to intimidate and punish critical media coverage. Expanding a defamation lawsuit to include opinion polling—and explicitly calling for such polls to be criminalized—crosses into authoritarian territory by attempting to suppress factual information about public opinion. The suggestion that unfavorable surveys should be illegal is particularly alarming as it targets a fundamental democratic tool for measuring public sentiment. This follows a pattern established in his September 2025 lawsuit and represents the weaponization of litigation against constitutionally protected speech and press freedom.