Karens Gonna Karen: Donald Trump Is Suing CNN For $475 Million For Defamation

The lawsuit addresses the network calling the former president "racist" and an "insurrectionist."

On Monday, Donald Trumpโ€”former president and the biggest Karen of them allโ€”sued CNN according to The Washington Post. He is accusing the network of defamation and asking for $475 million in punitive damages. The lawsuit, which is 29 pages long, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Video will return here when scrolled back into view
Stefon Diggs and Cardi B Viral Boat Video Prompts Response from Patriots Coach
Stefon Diggs and Cardi B Viral Boat Video Prompts Response from Patriots Coach

It accuses CNN of executing a โ€œcampaign of dissuasion in the form of libel and slanderโ€ that has โ€œescalated in recent monthsโ€ because the network believed that Trump would once again run for president. The lawsuit also calls out CNN for using words like โ€œracistโ€ and โ€œinsurrectionistโ€ to describe Trump.

This isnโ€™t the first time Trump has directly taken on the media, though his efforts proved unfruitful. His campaign sued both the New York Times as well as The Washington Post for libel. The pieces under fire were opinion articles that connected the campaign to Russian electoral interference.

The suit against the New York Times was dismissed while the lawsuit against The Washington Post is forthcoming. In addition, Trumpโ€™s campaign filed a separate libel suit against CNN in 2020 over an opinion piece. It was ultimately dismissed. Trumpโ€™s legal team cites various examples of defamation from CNNโ€”including specific clips and articles.

One of them includes a 2019 interview with singer Linda Ronstadt, who juxtaposed certain parts of Trumpโ€™s presidency to Nazis in Germany. The attorneys said that Ronstadt โ€œis a singer, not a historian.โ€ Trumpโ€™s lawyers also labeled the interview a โ€œpretext to repeat CNNโ€™s message under the guise of real โ€˜reporting.โ€™โ€

CNN isnโ€™t the first network, nor the last, to call out Trump on his dangerous antics. Although the lawsuit is most likely to be dismissed, it still begs the question: the truth hurts, doesnโ€™t it?

Straight From The Root

Sign up for our free daily newsletter.