Trump has filed lawsuits and claims demanding over $70 billion since second term candidacy announcement
Donald Trump has filed lawsuits and claims demanding over $70 billion since he declared his candidacy for office in November 2022, attempting to pressure media companies, individuals and even government entities to cave to his grievances. Trump filed six after declaring his run for president in the 2024 election seeking a total of more than $20 billion, and another five during his second term seeking a total of $50 billion. As his political fortunes changed, so have the outcomes of these lawsuits and claims.
Trump’s most recent, and most notable, big money suit was the widely criticized lawsuit he filed against the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department, demanding $10 billion in damages for the disclosure of his and his company’s tax information during his first term. In this lawsuit Trump was on both sides of the litigation, with Trump admitting his intent to “work out a settlement with [him]self.” Despite the questionable legal theory behind the claims (and even more questionable damages calculation), Trump’s own Department of Justice agreed to settle the case. Though it has since been blocked in the courts, the original terms of the settlement included a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” for Trump allies and anyone claiming to be the victims of “lawfare.” But an equally egregious agreement to block the IRS from bringing claims against Trump, his family or his businesses for past tax issues remains, including protection from a potential penalty of over $100 million.
This settlement also covered Trump’s separate administrative claims against the DOJ under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which sought approximately $230 million in damages, and alleged that federal prosecutions and investigations against him were malicious and politically motivated.
Trump has repeatedly filed defamation claims against media companies since November 2022, including lawsuits against the BBC, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and ABC, along with the Pulitzer Prize Board. However, his litigation against the media is not limited to defamation claims. For example, he has also brought claims against CBS, the Des Moines Register and journalist Bob Woodward under a variety of theories about reporting he didn’t like. Trump has also filed a suit against his former lawyer Michael Cohen and more recently has sued JP Morgan for debanking him in 2021 after the January 6 insurrection.
Outside of Trump’s claims against his own government, he has reached other settlement agreements since winning reelection, generating a total of approximately $86.5 million for himself, his presidential library and White House ballroom. Trump sued ABC for an unspecified sum in March 2024 and settled in December 2024 before he took office, for a $15 million donation to his library and $1 million in legal fees. He sued CBS for $20 billion in October 2024 and settled for a $16 million donation to his library in July 2025.
The table below outlines the lawsuits that Trump has filed since announcing his campaign for a second term in November 2022, which claim damages amounting to more than $70 billion, more than ten times Trump’s net worth, according to a recent calculation.
Policy Intern Irene Foley also contributed to this report