Former US president Donald Trump sued CNN accusing the cable television news network of defamation and seeking $475 million in punitive damages.
Trump, in the lawsuit filed in a US District Court in Florida, accused CNN of waging a campaign of libel and slander” against him because it fears he will run for president again in 2024.
Trump’s lawyers say 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.
Trump, who requested a jury trial, had a caustic relationship with CNN and other major news outlets like The New York Times during his presidency, branding them “fake news” and repeatedly raging against them on social media.