Judge Dismisses Trump's $475M 'Big Lie' Lawsuit Against CNN

Former President Donald Trump‘s defamation lawsuit against CNN, where he sought over $475 million in damages, was dismissed by a federal judge on Friday.

Trump had alleged that the news outlet associated him with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime through their use of the phrase “the big lie” to describe his false claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential race.

What Happened: As reported by USA Today, District Judge Raag Singhal dismissed the case, stating that the comments Trump cited in the lawsuit “are opinion, not factually false statements.”

"CNN's statements while repugnant, were not, as a matter of law, defamatory," Singhal wrote in the ruling.

Singhal added that “CNN’s use of the phrase ‘the Big Lie’ in connection with Trump's election challenges does not give rise to a plausible inference that Trump advocates the persecution and genocide of Jews or any other group of people.”

See Also: Trump Puts Past Feud With CNN Aside For Town Hall Appearance

Why It Matters: The dismissal of the lawsuit is the latest development in Trump’s ongoing feud with CNN. As Benzinga reported last year, Trump had sued CNN for defamation, claiming that the news outlet damaged his reputation with “false, defamatory, and inflammatory mischaracterizations of him.” This lawsuit was part of Trump’s broader strategy to challenge media outlets that he perceives as spreading “fake news.”

Despite his legal battles with CNN, Trump has also engaged with the network, participating in a town hall hosted by CNN earlier this year. This move was seen as part of a wider re-engagement with mainstream media.

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