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Former President Donald Trump filed a $475 million defamation lawsuit against CNN Monday in Florida federal court, claiming the network has created a campaign of libel and slander against him as of late because it fears he’ll run for re-election in 2024.
The ex-president threatened to sue CNN back in late July in a 282-page letter, demanding the network retract or apologize for reporting “defamatory statements.”
The lawsuit claims CNN has falsely labeled Trump as an “insurrectionist,” a “dog whistler to white supremacists,” a “racist,” a “Russian lackey” and compared him to Hitler. The lawsuit claims the comparison of Trump to “arguably the most heinous figure in modern history” is evidence that CNN had “actual malice” toward him — which is the minimum required threshold for proving defamation against a public figure.
45. Being likened to Hitler is historically defamation per se as such a comparison tends to subject the target—and has subjected the Plaintiff—to hatred, contempt, distrust, ridicule, and even fear; the comparison has had an adverse impact on the Plaintiff’s reputation and political career.
46. When a public official, or political candidate, is likened to Hitler, it is defamation per se as the statement imputes a characteristic or condition incompatible with the proper exercise of that public office.
The lawsuit cites a CNN special report called The Fight to Save Democracy hosted by Fareed Zakaria that aired on Jan. 9, 2022, about a year after Jan. 6 insurrection. The suit claims the special went too far because “a focal point of the report is a discussion of the ascendancy of Hitler and comparisons to the plaintiff, interspersing discussion of Hitler and Nazi Germany with footage of the plaintiff.”
However, Zakaria said in the special report (and something that was noted in the complaint): “Let’s be very clear. Donald Trump is not Adolf Hitler.”
Other CNN personalities cited in the complaint as defaming Trump on-air and online include Jim Acosta, Chris Cillizza, former anchor Brian Stelter, and many others.
The former president then put out the following statement hours after the lawsuit was filed:
A lawsuit was filed today against CNN, the once prestigious news channel that has devolved into a purveyor of disinformation, defamation, and Fake News, at a level which the American Public, and indeed the World, will not even believe is possible. For years I have watched this take place, often in disbelief, but the time has finally come to hold CNN responsible and legally accountable for their willful deception and defamatory statements made about me and both, directly and indirectly, my strong, devoted, and patriotic supporters-People who love the United States of America, but have been treated very unfairly, at so many levels. “The Big Lie” that they constantly refer to is actually “The Big Lie” in reverse. They know that, and it will be proven in Court!
CNN has not commented on the lawsuit.
