In a recent development, a federal judge in Florida has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by former U.S. President Donald Trump against CNN. The lawsuit was triggered by Trump’s claims that references made by the network to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election as “the Big Lie” amounted to comparing him to Adolf Hitler.
The former president sought punitive damages amounting to $475 million, alleging that the references had severely damaged his reputation and political career.
The lawsuit, filed in October last year, faced a decisive ruling from U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal, who was appointed by Trump himself. In his ruling, issued on Friday, Judge Singhal stated that the defamation claims made by Trump failed because the references in question were opinions and not factual statements. Furthermore, the judge expressed skepticism that viewers would draw a direct connection between the phrase “the Big Lie” and Trump’s election challenges with Nazi propaganda or Adolf Hitler’s oppressive regime.
According to Judge Singhal, “CNN’s use of the phrase ‘the Big Lie’ in connection with Trump’s election challenges does not give rise to a plausible inference that Trump advocates the persecution and genocide of Jews or any other group of people.”
Trump’s legal team in South Florida and Washington were contacted for comments on the ruling, but no response has been received yet. On the other hand, CNN has declined to comment on the matter.
Donald Trump’s lawsuit against CNN marked his third run for the presidency as a major-party candidate. Currently, he is a candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. Despite the dismissal of this particular lawsuit, it remains to be seen how this legal battle and other issues will unfold in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.
