Empowered by the concluded ABC lawsuit, Trump hints at initiating further legal actions against the media
Empowered by the concluded ABC lawsuit, Trump hints at initiating further legal actions against the media
Now, Trump is amplifying his legal threats against the media as he readies to return to the White House, expressing his desire to "correct" the press.
On Monday, Trump identified a new adversary: The Des-Moines Register newspaper, declaring that he intends to sue them "today or tomorrow" over their final poll showing him losing the November election to Vice President Kamala Harris in Iowa.
Trump made these statements during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, stating he would initiate a lawsuit against the esteemed Iowa newspaper due to his belief that the poll was fraudulent and constituted election interference.
The Register's poll conducted prior to Election Day, led by renowned pollster J. Ann Selzer, displayed Harris leading Trump 47-44% among likely voters in the state. This unexpected result prompted a surge of coverage suggesting Harris might snatch a victory in a state Trump had won in 2016 and 2020. Other polls, however, indicated Trump held a comfortable lead over Harris in the state.
In the end, Trump emerged victorious in the state by a 13-point margin.
"She's always got me right. She's a terrific pollster. She knows what she's doing," Trump remarked on Monday.
In a statement, Lark-Marie Anton, a representative of The Register's parent company Gannett, noted that the newspaper had released the poll's full demographics, crosstabs, weighted and unweighted data, and a technical analysis from pollster Ann Selzer to acknowledge the poll did not accurately reflect Trump's actual Election Day victory in Iowa.
Anton maintained that the newspaper stood by its reporting and considered a lawsuit without merit.
In an interview on the "Iowa Press" PBS show, Selzer admitted she remained uncertain about what went wrong.
"We've exhaustively checked everything. The Des-Moines Register has unparalleled transparency by providing our cross tabs, our weighting system, and my analysis online, which I have not had to update because it was quite comprehensive," Selzer said. She previously suggested that the extensive coverage of her poll may have motivated Trump supporters to vote on Election Day.
Selzer expressed bewilderment over allegations she was politically motivated or engaged in election interference, accusations she took "extremely seriously."
"The idea that I intentionally designed this result – I've never done that before. I've had ample opportunities to do so. It's not my style. But to insinuate without any proof whatsoever that I was in league with someone, that I was paid by someone, it's hard to pay much attention to it other than the fact that they are accusing me of a crime," she said.
Reached by CNN on Monday, Selzer said she would refrain from commenting on Trump's threat until she received a legal document.
Trump's remarks regarding the Register came in response to a journalist's inquiry about whether he intended to file further lawsuits against social media influencers, independent figures, and media outlets following his multimillion-dollar settlement with ABC News after his defamation lawsuit against the network.
"I think it's necessary because they are deceitful. We need an excellent media. We need a fair media," Trump said.
Trump then outlined several lawsuits he had brought against the media, including well-known journalist Bob Woodward, CBS News' "60 Minutes" program, and the Pulitzer Prize board.
Though the bar for proving defamation is high, requiring evidence of deliberate false reporting, even if a lawsuit is dismissed by a judge or if a media outlet ultimately prevails, the consequences can be severe. Lawsuits can drag on for months or years and can result in substantial legal fees for the companies involved.
Some media organizations have already advised their reporters to prepare themselves for an escalation in lawsuits from the Trump administration, as reported by Semafor.
At one point, Trump even suggested that the US government should be filing these lawsuits against the media, despite some of the cases alleging personal defamation.
"I feel compelled to pursue this. I shouldn't really be the one to do so. It should have been the Department of Justice or someone else," Trump said. "But I have to do it. It costs a lot of money to do it, but we need to correct the media."
In response to the journalist's question about potential lawsuits against media outlets, Trump mentioned his previous multimillion-dollar settlement with ABC News as an example. He also mentioned ongoing lawsuits against well-known journalists, news programs, and the Pulitzer Prize board.
Despite the high bar for proving defamation, requiring deliberate false reporting, Trump has demonstrated his intention to continue pursuing legal action against the media, viewing it as necessary to "correct" what he perceives as deceitful and biased reporting.