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By Daniel Orton
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Responding to President Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against them, the Pulitzer Prize Board has asked a Florida court to compel Trump to hand over his tax returns, financial records, and full medical and psychological files in a sweeping discovery request aimed at testing his claims of reputational and emotional harm.
The suit dates from 2022 and was in response to the board's defense of prizes awarded to the New York Times and Washington Post for their reporting of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, which Trump has characterized as false and defamatory.
A spokesperson for the Pulitzer Board told Newsweek: “Just like any other plaintiff, the president must articulate and prove his claims with evidence."
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"The Pulitzer Board will not be cowed by the president’s attempt to intimidate journalists or undermine the First Amendment," they added.
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Why It Matters
If the board’s discovery request is granted, Trump could be forced to make his medical records public—potentially fueling new scrutiny of his health as questions swirl around recurring bruises on his hand and the revelation that the president has had at least three "cognitive exams" this year, as well as an MRI scan.
What To Know
On December 11, the Pulitzer Prize Board defendants, comprising prominent journalists, academics, and media executives, filed sweeping discovery requests in the ongoing defamation lawsuit brought by Trump in Okeechobee County, Florida.
The board seeks a wide array of documents, including all of the president's tax returns from 2015 to the present, detailed financial holdings, and, crucially, his full medical and psychological records—including evidence of any prescription medications.
The demands were officially submitted in a 12-page filing by the law firms Ballard Spahr and Atherton Galardi Mullen & Reeder, acting on behalf of 20 board members. According to the filing, the requests aim to uncover evidence relevant to Trump's claims for damages, specifically any physical or psychological injury, and to test his assertions about alleged reputational harm caused by the board's defense of its 2018 reporting awards covering the Russia investigation.
The requests also cover Trump's previous legal actions and allegations regarding the impact of the board's statements on the 2020 presidential election.
Trump has 30 days from the date of the filing to respond, with provisions for asserting legal privilege over specific documents if warranted.
The board's document request states: "To the extent You seek damages for any physical ailment or mental or emotional injury arising from Counts I-IV of Your Complaint, all Documents (whether held by You or by third parties under Your control or who could produce them at your direction) concerning Your medical and/or psychological health from January 1, 2015, to present, including any prescription medications you have been prescribed or have taken…For the avoidance of doubt, this includes all Documents Concerning Your annual physical examination. To the extent you do not seek such damages in this action, please confirm so in writing."
Trump initiated the lawsuit in 2022, after the board declined to rescind the 2018 National Reporting prizes awarded to The New York Times and The Washington Post for their coverage of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Trump argued that the board was perpetuating an "absurdly false and defamatory narrative" and contended that their statement upholding the prizes further harmed his reputation.
What People Are Saying
A spokesperson for Trump's legal team told Fox News Digital: "President Trump is committed to holding those who traffic in fake news, lies, and smears to account, and he will see this powerhouse lawsuit through to a winning conclusion. This case has always been about correcting the record, revealing the truth, and vindicating the president and his supporters against the lies told to the American people by the Democrats and their PR machine known as 'legacy media.'"
The Pulitzer Board, in a prior statement defending the contested prizes, wrote: "Both reviews [of The New York Times and The Washington Post reporting] converged in their conclusions: that no passages or headlines, contentions or assertions in any of the winning submissions were discredited by facts that emerged subsequent to the conferral of the prizes. The 2018 Pulitzer Prizes in National Reporting stand."
What Happens Next
Trump and his legal team are now required to respond to the board’s discovery requests by early January 2026. They could provide the requested documents, challenge the scope or relevance of the requests in court, or assert privilege over specific records.
Update, 12/17/2025, 6:06 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from a Pulitzer Board spokesperson.
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