Trump announces lawsuit against New York Times over poll results

US President Donald Trump has announced a lawsuit against the influential US media outlet The New York Times, calling a poll published against him a 'fake'. At the same time, he said that such 'fake polls' should be considered a crime. The US Republican president has been furious after the poll was published, which basically showed his popularity declining.

According to TRT World, Trump made this angry reaction after a joint poll by the New York Times and Siena University was released on Thursday. The poll showed that the 79-year-old Republican president's approval rating was only 40 percent. This result is consistent with the picture of his popularity declining in multiple polls less than a year into his second term.

Trump wrote in a post on his social media account Truth Social, 'The Times-Siena poll... will be added to my lawsuit against The Failing New York Times.' He added, “They will be held fully accountable for all the far-left lies and injustice!” Trump even escalated the threat, writing, “Publishing fake and fraudulent polls should be considered a crime.”

Of course, Trump has previously filed multiple defamation lawsuits against various media outlets. These include the BBC, CNN, the Wall Street Journal, CBS, and ABC. Some of these cases have been settled through large settlements.

In September 2025, he first filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times. The lawsuit alleged that the newspaper had published fake news to tarnish his image and campaign ahead of the 2024 presidential election. However, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit. Later, in October, the lawsuit was re-filed in an amended form.

The New York Times described the new lawsuit as an “attempt to suppress independent journalism” and a “scare tactic.” A Times-Sienna poll released Thursday found that Trump's popularity is waning due to his handling of the economy and his crackdown on illegal immigration.

The Times-Sienna poll is considered one of the most accurate and influential political polls in the United States. The latest poll is particularly notable because it shows the disintegration of the coalition that helped Trump win the 2024 election.

The poll found that young, black voters who helped Trump win by voting against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris have now turned their backs on Trump, leaving him largely dependent on the support of older, white voters.