Trump ramps up legal threats against news outlets
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News organizations are on high alert after President-elect Trump filed yet another defamation lawsuit on Monday — and vowed to continue suing new outlets and influencers over their coverage.
Why it matters: While there are political levers that Trump can pull to target media companies, harassment campaigns and lawsuits that drain companies of time, money, resources and trust are often easier and just as punitive.
State of play: ABC's $15 million defamation settlement with Trump, announced Saturday, shocked some legal experts who say ABC could've easily won the case.
- The lawsuit stemmed from a March 2024 interview with star ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), a rape survivor.
- Stephanopoulos repeatedly said Trump was liable for rape, when in reality he was liable for assault and defamation. Trump sued ABC in a Florida federal court shortly thereafter.
- ABC has declined to say why it settled, but media onlookers see the settlement as a possible effort to avoid further scrutiny and legal attacks from the president-elect ahead of his second term.
Between the lines: Trump's victory over ABC prompted him to consider more legal action against news outlets he claims defamed him.
- On Monday, Trump filed suit against the Des Moines Register over a poll it ran showing him possibly losing the presidential race.
- He vowed to continue suing new outlets and influencers for defamation. "It costs a lot of money to do it, but we have to straighten out the press," he said at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago.
Zoom out: Trump has been suing media companies for years, but leading up to his second term, he's taken a more aggressive stance.
- Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS over allegedly doctoring its "60 Minutes" interview with Vice President Harris. CBS has filed motions to dismiss the complaints.
- The parent company to Trump's Truth Social network, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), filed a $3.8 billion defamation lawsuit against The Post, claiming an article falsely accused the company of securities fraud.
Yes, but: While Trump has a long history of filing lawsuits against media companies, he doesn't have a winning track record.
- A $475 million lawsuit against CNN was dismissed by a Florida federal judge last year.
- New York's State Supreme Court tossed a defamation lawsuit filed by Trump's re-election campaign against the New York Times over an op-ed.
Trump has also lost several key legal battles against the media over the past few years, including pulling press credentials for reporters he doesn't like, blocking people online and deleting online posts that are considered official presidential records.
The big picture: Trump has been involved in thousands of lawsuits throughout his business career, but media cases began to spike significantly during his first presidential campaign, per an analysis from USA Today.
- In the past, Trump has threatened to "open up" libel laws to be able to further target the press. The federal standard for libel, established by the 1964 New York Times v. Sullivan case, sets a very high bar for libel.
What to watch: Press freedom advocates warn that Trump's lawsuits against the press will create a significant chilling effect, forcing media companies to pull punches to avoid legal scrutiny.
