President Donald Trump has announced his intention to sue The New York Times again, this time targeting an opinion poll that showed his approval rating at 40% a year into his second term. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump declared that the "fake results" of the New York Times/Siena University poll would be added to an existing defamation lawsuit against the newspaper. He escalated his rhetoric further by suggesting that "Fake and Fraudulent Polling should be, virtually, a criminal offence". The Times has previously called his ongoing lawsuit "an attempt to stifle independent reporting" and "intimidation".
The poll triggering the president's ire found that only 32% of registered voters believe the country is better off under Trump, while 49% say it is worse off. A majority of those surveyed disapproved of his handling of key issues like the economy, immigration, and foreign policy. Analysts noted the survey indicates a fracturing of the coalition that re-elected him in 2024, with young and non-white voters shifting away, leaving him reliant on his core base of older, white voters. These figures align with other polls showing declining support across critical swing states.
This threat continues a pattern of legal action by Trump against prominent media organizations. He first filed a $15 billion defamation suit against The Times in September 2025, which a judge threw out, warning the complaint was not a "protected platform to rage against an adversary". Trump refiled an amended complaint in October. He has also filed suits against outlets including the BBC, CNN, ABC, and CBS, with some resulting in multi-million-dollar settlements paid to entities like his presidential library. Media scholars suggest the primary goal of these suits may not be to win in court but to intimidate critics and burden news organizations with costly legal defenses.
This approach has raised significant concerns about press freedom and the use of legal action to chill criticism. Some organizations are fighting back; the Pulitzer Prize Board, also sued by Trump, has asked a judge to compel the president to provide tax and medical records to prove alleged damages. Many states have also enacted anti-SLAPP laws designed to protect against frivolous lawsuits meant to silence public participation. The controversy unfolds as separate polls show Trump's net approval deeply negative in several key states, posing a potential challenge for his party in the upcoming midterm elections.