Trump has filed multiple defamation lawsuits against media organisations in recent years, including the BBC, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, CBS and ABC, with some cases ending in multi-million-dollar settlements
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would sue The New York Times over what he described as an unfavorable opinion poll, and suggested that what he called “fake” surveys should be criminalised.
Trump’s remarks came after the publication of a New York Times/Siena University poll that showed his approval rating at 40 per cent. The survey broadly aligns with several other polls indicating a decline in support for the 79-year-old Republican about a year into his second term.
“The Times Siena Poll…will be added to my lawsuit against The Failing New York Times,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
“They will be held fully responsible for all of their Radical Left lies and wrongdoing!” he added.
Expanding on the threat, Trump posted that “Fake and Fraudulent Polling should be, virtually, a criminal offense.”
Trump has filed multiple defamation lawsuits against media organisations in recent years, including the BBC, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, CBS and ABC, with some cases ending in multi-million-dollar settlements.
He first lodged a $15 billion defamation suit against The New York Times in September 2025, alleging that the newspaper published false reports aimed at damaging his 2024 presidential campaign and reputation.
A federal judge dismissed the complaint, though it was refiled in an amended form in October.
The Times responded by describing the renewed lawsuit as “an attempt to stifle independent reporting” and an act of “intimidation.”
The latest Times/Siena poll released on Thursday adds to a series of surveys showing Trump’s approval ratings continuing to fall, particularly over his handling of the economy and a military-style crackdown on illegal immigration.
Times/Siena is regarded as one of the most prominent and accurate political polling organisations in the United States. Its latest findings were notable for highlighting what the newspaper described as the unraveling of Trump’s winning coalition from the 2024 election.
According to the poll, younger and non-white voters who supported Trump in his contest against Democrat Kamala Harris have since moved away from him, leaving his support concentrated among his traditional base of older and white voters.
With inputs from agencies
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