Trump's media and defamation legal battles skyrocket
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Media-related lawsuits involving President Trump along with a broader set of Trump-related defamation cases have surged over the past two years compared with the decade prior, according to an Axios analysis.
Why it matters: Trump's efforts to target government-funded broadcasters and broadcasters regulated by the Federal Communications Commission have prompted many of those cases.
By the numbers: According to Axios' analysis, Trump, his businesses and his administration have been involved in 61 media and defamation lawsuits since 2015, including 16 in 2025 and nine so far in 2026.
- That's 25 cases in less than two years, compared with 36 cases during the decade from 2015 through 2024.
- Axios expanded its analysis from last year, which focused on cases involving Trump and his businesses, to capture the broader scope of Trump's legal battles with the media.
- The updated tally includes lawsuits involving Trump as an individual, Trump-affiliated businesses, and his administration or administration officials. It also includes cases brought by or against those parties, as well as defamation cases involving non-media plaintiffs or defendants.
Driving the news: ABC's First Amendment lawsuit against the FCC Tuesday marks the sixth lawsuit between a press organization or outlet and the FCC since 2025.
- ABC argues the agency violated its First Amendment rights in ordering an accelerated review of its local station broadcast licenses, alleging it was retaliation over its editorial decisions.
Zoom out: The tally includes lawsuits by outlets such as the Associated Press and the New York Times alleging that the administration or its officials sought to penalize them in an effort to silence their reporting.
- The Trump administration's efforts to cut federal funding for public broadcasters also prompted a slew of lawsuits from networks like NPR and PBS, as well as international broadcast groups such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks.
- Axios' count includes media cases involving news outlets, press freedom groups and various other entities.
Context: Trump has filed several of his own media and defamation lawsuits both as a private citizen and as president, as has his administration.
- The president sued the BBC last year for $10 billion, alleging defamation.
- FBI director Kash Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic in April.
The big picture: President Trump's efforts to target media organizations have moved more aggressively from name-calling and bullying to using his political power to set new legal and regulatory standards.
The other side: A spokesperson for Trump's legal team said in a statement to Axios, "President Donald J. Trump will continue to hold accountable those who traffic in lies, deception, and fake news for their reckless and politically motivated efforts to defame him, the MAGA movement, and the American people."
What to watch: While media organizations and press freedom groups are fighting back harder with their own legal pushback, verdicts and settlements, those cases can take months, if not years, to resolve.
Disclosure: In 2023, TMTG sued 20 media organizations, including Axios, for defamation. Litigation is ongoing.
Go deeper: Trump's media legacy
