Trump Sues CNN for Defamation

Former President Donald Trump sued CNN (Left bias) for defamation on Monday, seeking at least $475 million in damages.

Trump’s lawsuit alleges that CNN used “false, defamatory, and inflammatory mischaracterizations” to interfere with Trump’s political career. It argues that the phrase “the Big Lie,” in reference to Trump’s unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud, is an attempt to connect Trump to Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf.” “Beyond simply highlighting any negative information about the plaintiff and ignoring all positive information about him, CNN has sought to use its massive influence — purportedly as a ‘trusted’ news source — to defame the plaintiff in the minds of its viewers and readers for the purpose of defeating him politically,” the lawsuit stated. 

Both The Washington Post (Lean Left bias) and the Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) highlighted a Loyola Marymount University law professor who said the lawsuit had no legal path forward because it mostly pointed to opinions, not “false statements of fact that were made with actual malice,” the legal standard for defamation.

Coverage was common across the spectrum. Some coverage in center and left-rated outlets noted that Trump had “a history of threatening, and occasionally filing, lawsuits against media organizations whose coverage he deems unfair.” Coverage in Fox News (Right bias) highlighted Trump’s pledge to sue other “Fake News Media Companies.” CNN itself did not appear to cover the story by Tuesday morning.