Obama Files $150 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Against President Trump in Landmark Legal Battle
Washington, D.C. – February 16, 2026 – In a dramatic escalation of the long-standing feud between two of America’s most prominent political figures, former President Barack Obama has filed a massive defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump, seeking an unprecedented $150 billion in damages.
The complaint, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia late yesterday, accuses Trump of repeatedly making false and malicious statements that have severely damaged Obama’s reputation, caused emotional distress, and inflicted substantial financial harm. Legal experts describe the filing as one of the largest civil claims ever brought in U.S. history, dwarfing even Trump’s own recent multi-billion-dollar suits against media outlets.
According to the 48-page complaint obtained by major news outlets, the suit centers on a series of public statements and social media posts by Trump over the past several months. These include unsubstantiated allegations linking Obama to various criminal activities, misuse of government power during his presidency, and inflammatory personal attacks. The lawsuit highlights a particularly controversial incident in early February, when an AI-generated video posted briefly on Trump’s Truth Social account depicted Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama in a derogatory and racist manner, which Obama’s legal team claims crossed into actionable defamation by implying criminality and moral depravity.
“President Trump’s words were not mere political rhetoric,” the complaint states. “They were deliberate, repeated falsehoods uttered with actual malice, designed to destroy the plaintiff’s standing in the eyes of the public and to advance the defendant’s political agenda at any cost.” The filing argues that as a public figure, Obama must demonstrate “actual malice” under the New York Times v. Sullivan standard, but contends that evidence—including Trump’s pattern of similar lawsuits and admissions in private communications—meets that high bar.
Obama’s attorneys, led by high-profile civil rights litigator David Boies and a team from prestigious firms, emphasize the broader implications. They assert that Trump’s statements have not only harmed Obama’s personal and professional life but have also eroded public trust in democratic institutions. The $150 billion figure, while staggering, is said to account for reputational damage, lost speaking and consulting opportunities, security costs related to heightened threats, and punitive damages to deter future conduct.
The lawsuit arrives amid heightened political tensions. Trump’s second term has seen a flurry of legal actions, including his ongoing $10 billion defamation case against the BBC over edited footage of his January 6, 2021, speech, and separate suits against major news organizations. Critics have accused Trump of weaponizing the courts against perceived enemies, while supporters view his litigious approach as a defense against biased media coverage.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt issued a swift denial. “This is nothing more than a desperate, politically motivated stunt by a bitter former president who cannot accept that the American people have moved on,” she said in a statement. “President Trump speaks truth to power, and no amount of frivolous litigation will silence him.”
Legal analysts are divided on the suit’s prospects. Defamation cases involving public figures are notoriously difficult to win due to First Amendment protections. “The damages sought are extraordinarily high and likely symbolic,” said Professor Eugene Volokh, a First Amendment scholar at UCLA. “Even if liability is established, courts rarely award sums approaching this level without extraordinary evidence of harm.”
Others point to recent precedents where juries have awarded substantial sums in high-profile defamation cases, such as those involving Trump himself. “The irony is thick,” noted one constitutional law expert. “Trump has pioneered the use of massive defamation claims as a political tool. Now the tactic may come full circle.”
Obama, who has largely avoided direct legal confrontations with Trump since leaving office, addressed the filing indirectly in a brief statement released through his office. “For too long, baseless attacks have gone unchecked, undermining decency and truth in our public discourse. This action is not about politics—it’s about accountability and restoring a measure of civility to the national conversation.”
The case is expected to draw intense media scrutiny and could drag on for years, potentially reaching the Supreme Court. No trial date has been set, but preliminary hearings are anticipated in the coming months.
As the nation watches this unprecedented clash between former and current presidents unfold, the lawsuit underscores the deep divisions that continue to define American politics more than a decade after Obama’s departure from the White House.
