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President-elect Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against pollster Ann Selzer, her polling firm, The Des Moines Register,and its parent company, Gannett, accusing them of consumer fraud and “brazen election interference.”
The lawsuit, filed Monday night in Polk County, Iowa, focuses on a November 2 poll that showed Vice President Kamala Harris leading Trump by 3 percentage points in Iowa. Trump ultimately won the state by double digits, which his legal team claims is evidence of “election-interfering fiction.”
The lawsuit alleges that the poll violated the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, which prohibits deceptive advertising. Trump’s lawyers argue that the poll was intentionally manipulated to mislead voters and suppress turnout. “Millions of Americans, including Plaintiff, residents of Iowa, and Iowans who contributed to President Trump’s Campaign, were deceived by the doctored Harris Poll,” the suit claims.
Speaking about the lawsuit during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said, “I’m doing this because I feel I have an obligation. This pollster, who got me right all the time, suddenly says I’m going to lose by 3 or 4 points just before the election. It’s not a coincidence.”
Selzer, known for her accuracy in past elections, announced after the election that she would cease political polling and pursue other ventures. The lawsuit, however, accuses her of intentionally crafting results to sway voters in favor of Democrats, citing her platform’s “significant and impactful opportunity to deceive voters.”
Legal experts are skeptical of the lawsuit’s chances of success. Clay Calvert, a media law professor at the University of Florida, described the case as having “slim to none” odds of prevailing. “Winning in court is not likely the real goal of this lawsuit. It appears to be more about intimidating the press and journalists,” he said.
Rick Hasen, an election law expert at UCLA School of Law, expressed similar doubts. “I don’t expect this lawsuit to go anywhere,” he wrote in a blog post.
The lawsuit comes amid Trump’s ongoing battles with media organizations and analysts he views as biased. Over the weekend, Trump secured a $15 million settlement from ABC News in a defamation lawsuit involving inaccurate statements made on air.
Trump’s suit against Selzer highlights his willingness to challenge those he believes have undermined his campaign. While experts see the legal action as largely symbolic, it reflects Trump’s broader strategy to hold media outlets accountable for their reporting and analysis.
