In the 29-page lawsuit, Trump alleges that CNN took part in a 'campaign of dissuasion in the form of libel and slander' against the former POTUS as it fears that he will run for president again.
- Oct 4, 2022
AceShowbiz - Donald Trump is suing CNN for defamation. On Monday, October 3, the former U.S. president filed a lawsuit against the network and is seeking $475 million in punitive damages.
In the 29-page lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Trump alleged that CNN took part in a "campaign of dissuasion in the form of libel and slander." It also claimed that it "escalated in recent months" because the network feared that Trump would again run for president.
Trump's attorneys further alleged in the lawsuit that CNN "has sought to use its massive influence - purportedly as a 'trusted' news source - to defame" Trump. CNN allegedly did that in order to defeat him politically, "culminating in CNN claiming credit for '[getting] Trump out' in the 2020 presidential election."
The lawsuit additionally took issue with CNN's use of the words "racist" and "insurrectionist." It also pointed out associations that CNN allegedly made between the former president and Adolf Hitler.
"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," Trump said in an emailed statement.
CNN declined to respond to Trump's lawsuit.
Earlier this summer, Trump announced his intent to sue the network. In a statement, he stated that he would "also be commencing actions against other media outlets who have defamed me and defrauded the public regarding the overwhelming evidence of fraud throughout the 2020 Election."
This wasn't the first time for Trump to sue the press. Back in 2019, Trump's campaign sued the New York Times over an op-ed that suggested a "quid pro quo" with Russian officials.
