The battle between Mr. Trump and the American media is heating up

For many years, Mr. Donald Trump has continuously threatened to sue the American press and media that he accused of “fake news”, but often did not do so. In the rare cases he pressed, he almost always lost.

But the recent settlement between President-elect Trump and ABC News and a series of other lawsuits and complaints brought by him and his allies against media entities are signaling an increasingly fierce battle. more fiercely on the legal front.

“The law in America hasn’t really changed, but what has changed is the atmosphere and hostility towards the press is becoming very intense,” said David Korzenik, a New York lawyer defending the media. in Mr. Trump’s lawsuits, said.

According to two aides of Mr. Trump, the President-elect and his allies are really increasing the pressure on the media and they have no plans to stop.

Two months before the presidential election, Mr. Trump attacked the media more than 100 times in public speeches or other statements. A week before election day, he threatened to sue the New York Times. His campaign also filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against the Washington Post. Mr. Trump sued CBS News for editing an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris in a way that he considered “fraudulent.”

Early last week, the President-elect filed a lawsuit accusing polling company J. Ann Selzer and the Des Moines Register of “deceiving consumers.” The lawsuit concerns a poll the newspaper conducted that showed him lagging Harris in the race in Iowa, a conservative state he later won.

Lark-Marie Antón, a spokeswoman for Gannett, the parent company of the Des Moines Register, said that although the poll results differed from the election results, “we stand by our reporting on this issue.” and believe there is no basis for a lawsuit.”

The next day, Mr. Trump announced that he still planned to sue the press.

“We have to fix the press, even though it will cost a lot of money to do it,” he said at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago resort, Florida.

Steven Cheung, Mr. Trump’s spokesman, said the President-elect intends to focus on “false and dishonest information that does not serve the public interest but only seeks to interfere in the election.” for partisan interests”.

Korzenik recently attended a meeting of lawyers specializing in media defense. As they pitch strategies to clients, some want to wait and see how Mr. Trump’s new attacks on the American press will play out.

“People are concerned that complaints will increase, burdening the press with litigation costs, making them so tired that they can no longer operate,” Korzenik said.

ABC News’ announcement last week that it would spend $15 million on the President-elect’s foundation or museum to settle his lawsuit against the channel and host George Stephanopoulos for defamation has angered the American media and lawyers. dizzy.

Host Stephanopoulos said on television in March that Trump had been convicted of “raping” former journalist E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of sexually assaulting her when the two met at a shopping mall. Mall in New York in 1996.

In fact, the New York jury found that Mr. Trump “sexually abused” Carroll, not concluding that Mr. Trump committed rape as defined in state law. However, the judge said that did not mean Carroll “failed to prove that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ him, as many people commonly understand the word ‘rape’.”

According to three sources familiar with the matter, ABC News executives and Disney Media Group, the news channel’s parent company, decided to settle not only because of the legal risks in the lawsuit but also because of warnings of retaliation from the President-elect.

When Disney and ABC News executives and lawyers met on December 13 to discuss Mr. Trump’s defamation lawsuit, they faced an approaching deadline. Cecilia Altonaga, the federal judge in charge of the case, recently denied a new request for a stay of trial and ordered Disney to turn over “all remaining documents” by December 15.

Disney does business in more than 130 countries and employs approximately 225,000 people. The executives then concluded that confronting a president could make it difficult for them to operate.

ABC News operates more than 230 affiliated television channels nationwide, some of which must renew their licenses with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Mr. Trump has repeatedly talked about withdrawing the licenses of television channels that broadcast news about him that he does not like.

Disney and many other media companies have been planning a potential merger that executives hope will be approved by the Justice Department’s antitrust unit, which will soon be run by Pam Bondi , who is loyal to the President-elect.

Pursuing the lawsuit could require them to make public all internal communications to and from Stephanopoulos, which could be damaging. If the case goes to trial, it would face a jury in Florida, a red state that Mr. Trump won. Efforts to appeal any decision would take years and risk reaching the Supreme Court.

Disney general counsel Horacio Gutierrez proposed the settlement, which chief executive officer (CEO) Bob Iger approved.

The ABC News settlement excited Trump’s allies and supporters. They see this as a victory that creates momentum and is the driving force behind the President-elect’s strong confrontation with the American media in his second term.

Stephen K. Bannon, Mr. Trump’s former chief strategist, on December 15 praised a top legal advisor to the President-elect.

Boris Epshteyn came up with “one brilliant legal strategy after another. I know it’s brilliant because George Stephanopoulos will have to pay $15 million!”, Bannon said to cheers.

Meanwhile, journalists and First Amendment free speech advocates have expressed frustration. “This really surprised me and is a blow to anyone who works for a major media company,” said Chuck Todd, a journalist and host for NBC News. “It sets a precedent that is very difficult to undo.”

“What is worrying here is that we may be witnessing a convergence of forces, legal, political and social, to work together to erode the trust the public places in American journalism,” he said. RonNell Andersen Jones, a law professor at the University of Utah, commented. “Each settlement decision sends a signal about the general climate for the American press. It could prompt others to sue for ‘contempt’ and put pressure on media organizations.” Others must self-censor”.

According to observers, it is completely normal for a US president to disagree with the country’s press. Former president Richard Nixon once made an “enemies list” of journalists, while his vice president, Spiro Agnew, called them “mouthy tycoons spreading negativity”.

Former President Bill Clinton once complained about the way the press reported on his White House love scandal. The Barack Obama administration also sued a record number of journalists for citing anonymous sources to reveal sensitive information from the White House.

But legal experts say that Mr. Trump has taken the war with the US media to a new level, risking eroding press freedom.

“This fake media channel must pay a heavy price for what they have done to our great country,” he wrote on the social network Truth Social in September in a post criticizing NBC News.

Experts warn that once in office, Mr. Trump can do much more from the Oval Office.

“My concern is what he will do once he has the power of the US government in his hands. It seems to me that all the barriers have been removed and we are about to face a presidency like no other. any term we’ve ever had before,” said Liliana Hall Mason, a political science professor at the University of Maryland.