Trump Vs The World? All The Recent Times Trump Has Tried To Sue The Media
Donald Trump has just gone to war with the BBC – but it’s far from the first time he has attacked the media.
Lawyers for the US president have threatened to sue the corporation for $1 billion, following accusations that an episode from the BBC’sPanorama “doctored” footage of a speech Trump made to his supporters before the Capitol riots on January 6, 2020.
Two BBC executives had already resigned amid claims of “bias” even before Trump issued his legal threat.
But the president’s lawyers still want the BBC to apologise, issue a retraction and “appropriately compensate” Trump – and they’ve given the corporation until Friday to respond.
While questions remain over just how successful his legal bid may be, the president is known for his litigious attitude towards the media – and has launched several other legal challenges to various outlets...
1. The Chicago Tribune
Trump sought $500m from the Chicago Tribune way back in 1984, long before he got close to the White House.
He claimed an architecture critic for the newspaper had “virtually torpedoed” his plans to build a 150-story skyscraper in Manhattan.
But the case was dismissed as the judge decided the column in question was protected by the First Amendment (right to free speech and free press).
2. CNN
Trump sought $475m in damages from CNN back in October 2022, accusing the outlet of trying to sabotage his political prospects.
He pointed to five examples of articles or aired comments that referred to Trump’s claims of election fraud as his “big lie” – a comment which has been associated with the Nazi regime.
But the case was thrown out because “no reasonable viewer could (or should) plausibly make that reference”.
3. Disney
Trump sued after comments made by an ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos, in March 2024, who falsely claimed the president had been found “liable for rape”.
ABC, which is owned by Disney, ended up paying out $15 million in a defamation lawsuit – choosing to settle rather than fight.
4. Paramount
Trump filed a case in Texas in October last year against the parent company of CBS News, Paramount.
He claimed the company had violated consumer protection laws by editing a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris in a misleading way.
While Paramount was expected to win any legal battle – because Trump’s claim.was under an unrelated statute and Trump was evidently not harmed by the segment after winning the election – the company still paid him $16 million.
Paramount also wanted the White House’s approval of a merge with Skydance Media, and so needed the president on side.
5. The Wall Street Journal
In July this year, the Wall Street Journal published an article stating Trump had written a sexually suggestive birthday letter to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein back in 2003.
The following day, Trump sued the reporters who wrote the article, as well as the newspaper, its publishing company Dow Jones & Company, its owner – and the parent company’s chief, Rupert Murdoch.
He claimed the letter was “fake”and meant to harm his reputation.
Dow Jones said it stands by its reporting and will challenge the lawsuit.
6. New York Times
The president tried to start a $15bn defamation lawsuit against the New York Times in September, claiming it had been “allowed to freely lie, smear and defame me for far too long”.
However, a judge struck down that claim due to issue with its contents, giving Trump’s team 28 days to file a new complaint.
He filed a new complaint in October, targeting individual reporters and a book publisher.
7. Jimmy Kimmel
The late-night talk show host – owned by ABC – was sacked from his show in September after making controversial comments on the assassination of pro-Trump campaigner Charlie Kirk.
The news was welcomed by Trump – but Kimmel was soon rehired following intense backlash, and insisted it was “never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man”.
But he also claimed Trump had “tried his best to cancel me” – only for Kimmel’s show ratings to go through the roof after his return.
Trump said Kimmel’s return would escalate his legal battle with the comedian and his network.
He said that this issue could be “even more lucrative” than his last £15m pay-out from ABC.
Will the BBC have to settle?
The BBC is not part of a wider corporation like many of the organisations mentioned above which often have deep pockets.
It is independent and publicly-funded instead, with its licence free model up for review in 2027 – and this incident will add to wider calls for major reform within the BBC.
Yet legal experts have also questioned just how successful this legal bid will be, considering it’s been more than a year since the original Panorama episode aired.
Others have questioned whether Trump will realistically be able to argue that the BBC did damage his reputation, considering he has already been under scrutiny by congressional hearings, global coverage of January 6 and ongoing civil lawsuits in Washington.
He also still won the presidential election last year, after the programme had aired.