Donald Trump puts pressure on the media who speak badly of him.
The former American president filed a complaint on Monday, October 3, against the CNN channel, accusing it of defaming him because it fears that he will run for the presidency again in 2024. The billionaire is asking him for 475 million dollars. in damages.
The Republican, who is flirting more and more openly with the idea of running for the White House, believes that CNN "sought to use its immense influence" to "defame him to its viewers and readers in order to defame him. defeat politically," according to the text of the lawsuit filed in Florida.
"CNN's campaign of deterrence, in the form of defamation and slander against the plaintiff, has only escalated in recent months as CNN fears the plaintiff will run for president in 2024," according to the same source.
A reference to "Mein Kampf"
Donald Trump accuses the channel of wanting to "tip the political balance to the left" by trying to "dirty" it with "a series of ever more defamatory, false and scandalous qualifiers such as 'racist', 'lackey of the Russians', 'insurrectionist' and ultimately 'Hitler'".
The businessman particularly criticizes CNN for using the expression "the big lie" to talk about his allegations that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen" from him by Joe Biden.
"The 'Big Lie' is a direct reference to a tactic employed by Adolf Hitler and appearing in 'Mein Kampf'," according to the complaint.
"The 'big lie' was used by Hitler to incite hatred of Jews" and should not "be taken lightly".
Its repeated use on the channel about Donald Trump — more than 7,700 times since January 2021, the complaint alleges — is "a deliberate attempt by CNN to convey to its audience an association between the complainant and one of the most repugnant personalities in modern history".
More complaints may follow
In a press release, the ex-president said Monday evening that he would file a complaint against "a large number" of other media in the weeks and months to come, also for defamation.
He also said he could take action against the House committee investigating the assault on the Capitol by his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021.
Throughout his tenure, the former Republican president had an abysmal relationship with mainstream media like CNN and the New York Times, which he dubbed "fake news" media.
He regularly raged against them on Twitter, from where he has since been banned.
With AFP
The summary of the
France 24 week invites you to come back to the news that marked the week
I subscribe
Take international news everywhere with you!
Download the France 24 app