President Donald Trump said he is filing a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times.

Mr Trump accused the newspaper of serving as a “virtual ‘mouthpiece’ for the Radical Left Democrat Party”.

“The ‘Times’ has engaged in a decades-long method of lying about your favourite president (ME!), my family, business, the America First Movement, MAGA, and our nation as a whole,” he said on his Truth Social platform.

He also criticised the paper’s editorial board for endorsing his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, during the presidential campaign, calling it “the single largest illegal campaign contribution, EVER”.

“The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops NOW,” the post continued, adding that the lawsuit is being brought in Florida.

The New York Times did not immediately comment on Mr Trump’s post.

Earlier, the president had threatened to sue the newspaper for publishing articles related to a sexually suggestive letter and risqué drawing that was given to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The note appeared to bear Mr Trump’s signature, although the White House rejected this.

Mr Trump has previously filed lawsuits against several media outlets, including CBS and ABC, both of which were later settled for millions. Critics view his lawsuits as attacks on press freedom.

He is also taking action against other media whose coverage he opposes, including the AP news agency, which was barred from traveling on his government plane.

The media agency was barred because it refused to adopt his renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America”.

(dpa/NAN)