Donald Trump Files Lawsuit Against CNN Seeking $475m

Former US President Donald Trump

Donald Trump is suing cable TV network CNN, claiming defamation and seeking punitive damages of $475m in a lawsuit filed with a Fort Lauderdale federal court.

The former US president claims the network attempted to smear him “with a series of ever-more scandalous, false, and defamatory labels of ‘racist’, ‘Russian lackey’, ‘insurrectionist’, and ultimately ‘Hitler’,”.

“Beyond simply highlighting any negative information about the plaintiff and ignoring all positive information about him, CNN has sought to use its massive influence, purportedly as a ‘trusted’ news source, to defame the plaintiff in the minds of its viewers and readers for the purpose of defeating him politically,” the filing states.

In the 29-page lawsuit Trump claims that CNN had a long track record of criticizing him but had ramped up its attacks in recent months because the network feared that he would run again for president in 2024.

“As a part of its concerted effort to tilt the political balance to the left, CNN has tried to taint the plaintiff,” the suit said.

Trump is yet to confirm whether he plans on running for president again.

The lawsuit refers to several instances in which CNN appeared to compare Trump to Hitler, including a special report by host Fareed Zakaria in January 2022 that included footage of the Nazi leader.