Trump's defamation and media litigation spikes
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Since President Trump began his political career in 2015, the number of media and defamation lawsuits involving him or his businesses as either the plaintiff or defendant quadrupled compared to the prior three decades, according to an Axios analysis of public databases.
Why it matters: The growing volume shows how, since turning into a political figure, Trump has become bolder about using the courts in media and free speech cases.
How it works: One observer notes a theme in Trump's increasing legal attacks.
- Each case is unique yet connected, Kevin Goldberg, vice president at Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan nonprofit fostering First Amendment freedoms, tells Axios.
- "The consistent theme is his willingness to use the court system, even as a public figure and a public official, to silence people, to force them to correct statements, to just generally make them uncomfortable," Goldberg says.
By the numbers: Ahead of the 2016 election, USA Today reported that Trump and his businesses had been involved in more than 4,000 legal actions since 1976. Media and defamation cases accounted for a small percentage.
- According to Axios' analysis, Trump was involved in seven lawsuits related to media or defamation in the three decades prior to announcing his presidential bid on June 16, 2015. Since that date, that count jumped to 29.
- The lawsuits shown in the chart involve Trump as either the plaintiff or defendant and include Trump-affiliated businesses, like Miss Universe and Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), and his campaign.
- In 2023, TMTG sued 20 media organizations, including Axios, for defamation. That suit in Florida is ongoing.
- Trump or his business served as the plaintiff in 64% of the cases — four before announcing his presidential run and 19 afterward. He or his business was the defendant in three cases before and 10 afterward.
What they're saying: "President Donald J. Trump will continue to hold those who traffic in fake news, lies, and smears to account and he is fully committed to seeing all of the cases to their just conclusions," Trump attorney Ed Paltzik said in a statement to Axios.
Between the lines: Trump could stick to using social media to criticize or pull political levers to punish people or entities. Lawsuits, however, drain adversaries of time, money and resources. That's especially true of media companies, which are facing record economic disruption.
- "What really concerns me is that there's a lot of independent media out there that won't ... be able to absorb even the basic costs of defending against the filing," says Esha Bhandari, deputy director of the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project.
What we're watching: Companies like ABC News and Meta have settled with Trump in recent months, even though some legal experts say they could have won their cases.
- Meanwhile, the Pulitzer Prize board filed a motion to halt Trump's defamation case against it until his presidency ends.
Go deeper: This story is part of a deep dive into the media industry's epic legal battles, written exclusively for Axios Media Trends Executive members. Sign up here.
