United States President, Donald Trump, announced on Thursday that he plans to sue The New York Times over an unfavorable opinion poll, further suggesting that what he calls “fake” surveys should be treated as criminal offenses.
The announcement followed the release of a New York Times/Siena University poll showing just 40 percent approval for the 79-year-old Republican, consistent with several other surveys indicating waning support a year into his second term.
“The Times Siena Poll…will be added to my lawsuit against The Failing New York Times,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “They will be held fully responsible for all of their Radical Left lies and wrongdoing!”
He expanded on the issue, posting that “Fake and Fraudulent Polling should be, virtually, a criminal offense.”
Trump has a history of filing defamation lawsuits against major media outlets, including the BBC, CNN, Wall Street Journal, CBS, and ABC, with some ending in multi-million-dollar settlements.
He initially filed a $15 billion defamation suit against the Times in September 2025, alleging the newspaper published false stories to damage his 2024 presidential campaign and reputation. A federal judge dismissed the complaint, but it was later refiled in amended form in October.
The Times responded to Thursday’s announcement by describing the new lawsuit as “an attempt to stifle independent reporting” and “intimidation.”
The latest Times/Siena poll also highlighted growing dissatisfaction with Trump’s handling of the economy and his aggressive immigration policies. Considered one of the most accurate and high-profile US political surveys, the poll detailed what the Times described as the erosion of Trump’s winning 2024 coalition.
Young and non-white voters who supported Trump in the 2024 election against Democrat Kamala Harris have reportedly shifted away, leaving him with his core base of older and white voters.
