Trump suing CNN for defamation, seeks $475 mln in damages

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
4 Oct 2022 08:21

Former President Donald Trump sues CNN for defamation, highlighting most significantly the latter's "Trump is Hitler" narrative.

Trump sues CNN for defamation citing the "Trump is Hitler" narrative (Getty Images)

Former US President Donald Trump is suing CNN for defamation, seeking $475 million for allegedly weaponizing CNN's reputation as a "reliable source" to undermine his own. The lawsuit was filed on Monday in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida by the former Republican president.

The lawsuit argued that “Beyond simply highlighting any negative information about [Trump] and ignoring all positive information about him, CNN has sought to use its massive influence —purportedly as a ‘trusted’ news source — to defame [Trump] in the minds of its viewers and readers for the purpose of defeating him politically.”

It adds that CNN adopted “scandalous” labels to undermine the former president’s image for its audience, denouncing him as a “racist,” “Russian lackey,” “insurrectionist,” and “Hitler.” The latter, at the very least, meets the threshold of "actual malice" allowing for a public figure to claim defamation in the US, according to Trump.

The complaint provides several examples of CNN's anti-Trump hostility, pointing out that even historically Trump-averse platforms like fact-checker Politifact have awarded CNN the "dreaded 'Pants On Fire!' resignation" for its Hitler parallels.

The complaint claims that as a result of CNN's relentless "Trump is Hitler" narrative, its audience has irreversibly associated the two, characterizing the conclusion as irrevocably detrimental to Trump's political career.

It includes undercover camera footage from CNN HQ obtained by Project Veritas, in which network workers gloat that their coverage was both meant to push their viewers to vote him out and was ultimately responsible for that outcome.

According to the lawsuit, CNN not only caused Trump "damage to his reputation, embarrassment, pain, humiliation, and mental anguish," but they did so out of vindictiveness and they knew that they were lying, having reportedly refused to correct a list of "false and defamatory statements" sent to them by Trump's legal team in July.

Trump attorneys have asked for the elimination of compensatory damage limits, $475 million in punitive damages, reimbursement of legal and travel expenses, and a jury trial - which, according to Sputnik, is unlikely to be broadcasted live on CNN.

The controversial figure is presently facing various lawsuits, including a $250 million lawsuit in New York alleging fraudulent business practices, as well as a criminal inquiry into accusations that he improperly retained classified documents on his property at Mar-a-Lago upon vacating the White House.

During his four-year administration, he was impeached twice by the Democrat-led House, but he was never convicted. Furthermore, Trump has repeatedly implied that he would run for president again in 2024.