Washington DC - President Donald Trump and his legal team have reportedly threatened to sue The New York Times over their recent coverage of a birthday card he gave to notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

The Times reports that they recently received a letter from Trump attorney Edward Paltzik, who argued that an article published earlier this week and another from July were evidence of "malicious fabrications."

Paltzik demanded a retraction and apology, and suggested the president could file a $10 billion lawsuit against the outlet.

In recent months, Trump has been facing backlash for refusing to fulfill his promise to release all government files related to Epstein.

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The controversy has also brought his close friendship with Epstein, which lasted for decades, under heavy scrutiny.

Despite claiming they were never that close, reports have found evidence to the contrary.

In July, The Wall Street Journal published an article regarding a letter Trump allegedly wrote in 2003 to wish Epstein a happy birthday, which included a doodle of a naked woman and a cryptic message about how they share "certain things in common."

The letter, which was not included in the article, was released to the public earlier this week after Epstein's estate provided new evidence to the House Oversight Committee.

Trump has vehemently denied ever writing the letter, arguing that he doesn't draw, and has filed a suit for $10 billion against The Wall Street Journal for intitially bringing it to light.

Paltzik's letter took issue with two articles from The Times – a story published in July detailing Trump's long history of drawing doodles with thick black marker, similar to the drawing in the birthday letter, and a story published this past Monday, which compares the signature in the birthday letter to the signature Trump used from 1987 through 2001.

Throughout his time in politics, Trump has aggressively sought to delegitimize news outlets that publish critical reporting of him.

He has used the tactic of threatening massive lawsuits to silence such outlets, while also sending a message to others.

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The Times is standing by its reporting. A spokesperson for the outlet insisted their journalists "reported the facts, provided the visual evidence, and printed the president's denial" in both stories, allowing the American people to "see and to make up their own minds."

"We will continue to pursue the facts without fear or favor and stand up for journalists' First Amendment right to ask questions on behalf of the American people," the spokesperson added.