A federal judge has dismissed a $475 million defamation lawsuit brought by Donald Trump against CNN. The former US president claimed that the news network referred to his belief that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him as a “big lie.” However, Judge Raag Singhal, who was nominated by Trump in 2019, ruled that while CNN’s words were “repugnant,” they were considered opinion and not fact, making them ineligible for a defamation claim.
The lawsuit, filed in October 2022, alleged that CNN’s use of the “big lie” phrase associated Trump with Adolf Hitler and Nazi propaganda. But Judge Singhal stated that the phrase’s use did not imply a clear connotation, and no reasonable viewer could make that reference. Despite the judge’s decision, a Trump spokesperson expressed agreement with the sentiment that CNN’s statements about the former president were repugnant and promised to hold them responsible for their mistreatment of Trump and his supporters.
It remains uncertain whether Donald Trump will appeal the decision. As he campaigns to regain the White House, he faces multiple legal battles, including a target in a US Justice Department investigation into attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. A trial date has also been set for him in a classified US documents case in Florida.