Trump unleashes on the media, berates ABC journo and sues NY Times
Donald Trump berating journalists on the White House lawn (Fox News via ABC News)
US President Donald Trump has had another combative 24 hours with the media. In one instance, he publicly berated Australian journalist John Lyons. In another, he filed a US$15 billion ($22.4 billion) lawsuit against The New York Times.
The incident with US-based ABC global affairs editor John Lyons happened on the lawn of the White House in Washington DC before the President boarded Air Force One bound for London.
Lyons was questioning Trump’s personal wealth – “You are regarded as the wealthiest man who has ever occupied the White House” – and whether it was appropriate for him to “be engaged in so much business activity”.
On learning where Lyons was from, Trump said: “In my opinion, you are hurting Australia very much right now, and they want to get along with me.”
He added: “You know your leader is coming over to see me very soon. I’m going to tell him about you. You set a very bad tone. You should set a nicer tone.”
When Lyons attempted a follow-up question as part of his Four Corners investigation, Trump shut it down: “Quiet.”
One of the White House’s many official X accounts posted a video of the interaction. The account did not name Lyons, but instead referred to him as “a rude foreign Fake News loser”.
In a separate attack on the media, Trump filed a multi-billion-dollar defamation lawsuit against The New York Times in a district court in Florida. The suit accuses the outlet of being a “mouthpiece” for rival party the Democrats, and of “spreading false and defamatory content” about him.
The filing contends the President’s electoral victory in November 2024 “was remarkable for many historic reasons, including because President Trump had to overcome persistent election interference from the legacy media, led most notoriously by the New York Times”.
A further claim in the 85-page filing says: “The newspaper’s editorial routine is now one of industrial-scale defamation and libel against political opponents. As such, the Times has become a leading, and unapologetic, purveyor of falsehoods against President Trump on the legacy media landscape.”
According to The Times, its publisher AG Sulzberger sent a note to staff on Tuesday, labelling the suit “frivolous”.
“Everyone, regardless of their politics, should be troubled by the growing anti-press campaign led by President Trump and his administration,” he wrote.
An official spokesperson for The Times said: “This lawsuit has no merit. It lacks any legitimate legal claims and instead is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting. The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics. We will continue to pursue the facts without fear or favour and stand up for journalists’ First Amendment right to ask questions on behalf of the American people.”
A spokesperson for Australia’s ABC also defended its team.
ABC News director Justin Stevens said Lyons, who was admonished by Trump on the White House lawn, had the broadcaster’s full support.
“John Lyons is a highly awarded journalist and one of the most experienced and respected reporters in Australia,” Stevens said. “His job is to ask questions.”
Lyons himself said he thinks it’s an “absurd notion” that a handful of legitimate questions – which he labelled “non-provocative”, “fair”, “based on research” and “not asked in an abusive fashion” – could damage relations between the two countries.
John Lyons speaking to ABC News after the Trump incident (ABC News)
“If our job as journalists is to hold truth to power, then surely asking legitimate questions, politely, to the President of the United States should be acceptable. But in this day and age in America now, it’s not,” he told ABC News after the incident
“I think all this feeds into President Trump’s sort of war on the media,” he said.
He did, however, flag his intentions to return to the White House, despite the encounter.
“If we’ve reached the point where asking those sorts of questions prevents you from going into the White House, then I think it’s a very dark day. I don’t think we’ve yet reached that point though.”
