Donald Trump sues CNN claiming defamation, seeks $475 million in damages

Primarily, the lawsuit, filed in US District Court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, focuses on the term “The Big Lie” about Trump’s false claims of widespread fraud that he says cost him the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden. However, there was no immediate comment from CNN.

Trump repeatedly attacked CNN as the US president, which resonated with his conservative followers. Similarly, he has filed lawsuits against big tech companies with little success. His case against Twitter for knocking him off its platform following January 6, 2021, the US Capitol insurrection was thrown out by a California judge earlier this year, as per AP reports. 

Numerous federal and local election officials in both parties, top former campaign staffers, a long list of courts, and even Trump’s own attorney general have said that there is no evidence of the election fraud he alleges.

His lawsuit claims “The Big Lie”, a phrase with Nazi connotations, has been used in reference to him more than 7,700 times on CNN since January 2021. “It is intended to aggravate, scare and trigger people,” he said.

The former US President, in an official statement, suggested that similar lawsuits would be filed against other organizations. He also said that he may bring “appropriate action” against the House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters.

The lawsuit comes as he is weighing a potential bid for the presidency in 2024, according to the Associated Press.

New CNN chief Chris Licht, in a meeting more than three months ago, privately urged his news personnel to refrain from using the phrase because it is too close to Democratic efforts to brand the former president, according to several published reports.

(With AP inputs)