"Trump Sues CNN for Defamation Over Comparison to Hitler in Presidential Bid Obstruction"

Former U.S. President Donald Trump [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Former U.S. President Donald Trump has filed a defamation lawsuit against the American broadcaster CNN, which labeled him as a 'Russia follower' and 'racist.' Trump claims that CNN intentionally launched political attacks to obstruct his bid for re-election.

On the 3rd (local time), according to Bloomberg News and others, Trump's legal team announced that they filed a lawsuit against CNN at the federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, seeking $475 million (approximately 683.5 billion KRW) in punitive damages.

Trump's legal team argued that CNN intensified political attacks in recent months out of concern over Trump's 2024 presidential re-election bid. They claimed that CNN deliberately defamed and damaged Trump's reputation by using terms such as 'racist,' 'Russia follower,' and 'insurrectionist.'

Additionally, Trump's side pointed out that in January, CNN made reports comparing Trump to Adolf Hitler on the same level. At that time, CNN aired a special report titled "The Fight to Save Democracy," stating, "The United States has defeated demagogues before."

Trump's team criticized, "The report focused on comparing Hitler and Trump and discussing superiority," adding, "Videos of Hitler and the Nazis were mixed with footage of Trump in the broadcast."

Trump's lawyers criticized, "CNN emphasized negative information about Trump and ignored positive information," and "They used the considerable influence of a major media outlet with the purpose of politically defeating him."

Bloomberg reported that CNN was asked for a comment on the case but did not respond. Meanwhile, Trump is under investigation by authorities for allegedly removing classified documents when leaving the White House upon his departure in January last year.

On the 21st of last month, Trump was also sued by Letitia James, New York State Attorney General and Justice Minister, along with three of his children including Eric Trump, for allegedly engaging in financial fraud over ten years.

New York State claims that Trump inflated or undervalued the value of real estate he owned to gain unfair profits and has requested the court to recover $250 million.