Media in the courthouse

As Donald Trump moves back into the White House, the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker will document the lawsuits he files against members of the press and news outlets as president-elect and president, as well as their resolutions, in this specialized tracking project.

On the eve of the 2024 election, Trump — who has done little to disguise his disdain for members of the press — renewed his long-standing tactic of pursuing legal action against outlets for reporting that he argues is biased or unfair.

In late October, for example, attorneys representing Trump sent a letter to The New York Times and Penguin Random House demanding $10 billion in damages for “false and defamatory statements” about the former president.

On Oct. 31, Trump also followed through on threats to sue CBS News over a “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, the editing of which he alleges attempted to sway the election toward his opponent. The suit claims the network violated a Texas consumer protection law meant to curb false advertising.

In the past, Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of changing libel laws meant to protect journalists from meritless lawsuits, and he has pursued numerous suits against journalists. In 2018, he sent multiple cease and desist letters in an attempt to halt the publication of “Fire and Fury,” journalist Michael Wolff’s book on Trump’s first administration. Trump also sued the Times in 2020 and 2021, CNN in 2022, journalist Bob Woodward in 2023, and ABC News in 2024.

Much to the alarm of many press freedom advocates and news media organizations, ABC opted to settle in December, agreeing to pay $15 million toward Trump’s presidential library plus an additional $1 million in legal fees.

This article was first published on Jan. 6, 2025.

Donald Trump followed through on his threat to sue Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer, The Des Moines Register reported, filing a lawsuit in Iowa district court on Dec. 16, 2024, against Selzer and her polling company, as well as the Register and its parent company, Gannett.

The suit alleges that Selzer’s Nov. 2 poll showing Vice President Kamala Harris winning the state amounted to “brazen election interference” and violated the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act. The suit marks the second time Trump has used state consumer protection laws to attack a news outlet.

Trump justified the Iowa lawsuit during a news conference announcing it, according to Puck. “We have to straighten out the press,” Trump reportedly said. “Our press is very corrupt, almost as corrupt as our elections.”

Register spokesperson Lark-Marie Anton said in a statement that the newspaper stands by its reporting and believes the lawsuit is meritless.

“We have acknowledged that the Selzer/Des Moines Register pre-election poll did not reflect the ultimate margin of President Trump’s Election Day victory in Iowa by releasing the poll’s full demographics, crosstabs, weighted and unweighted data, as well as a technical explanation from pollster Ann Selzer,” Anton said.

The lawsuit was moved from state to federal court on Dec. 17, following a request by Gannett, according to court records reviewed by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.