President Donald Trump sought to revive a $475 million defamation lawsuit against CNN over its use of the phrase “The Big Lie” in reference to his 2020 election fraud claims. However, a federal appeals court has rejected the effort, with the 11th Circuit affirming the case’s dismissal. The court ruled that CNN’s choice of words is protected opinion under the First Amendment.
Trump’s 2022 lawsuit alleged CNN compared him to Hitler and intended to damage his reputation. U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal dismissed it, ruling opinions aren’t defamatory without false statements.
11th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Adalberto Jordan wrote, “CNN’s subjective assessment of Trump’s conduct is not readily capable of being proven true or False.”
The appellate court ruled CNN’s “The Big Lie” reference is a subjective opinion, not a verifiable fact. The court noted that Trump’s 2020 election actions can be interpreted in multiple ways.
The appeals panel wrote, “Trump’s argument hinges on the fact that his own interpretation of his conduct — i.e., that he was exercising a constitutional right to identify his concerns with the integrity of elections — is true and that CNN’s interpretation — i.e., that Trump was peddling his ‘Big Lie’ — is false.”
The panel added, “However, his conduct is susceptible to multiple subjective interpretations, including CNN’s.”
Trump’s lawyers noted he will appeal, claiming the ruling limits media accountability. The ruling marks a setback for Trump in his defamation cases against major media outlets.
English 
