Washington:
Donald Trump’s attacks on traditional media have intensified since his return to the White House, with the Republican president repeatedly badmouthing journalists critical of his administration, restricting access and bringing lawsuits.
Here are the main legal battles being fought:
ABC News
In December, ABC News agreed to contribute $15 million to Trump’s presidential foundation and museum to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by the Republican leader against the network.
Trump filed the lawsuit in March 2024, contending ABC star anchor George Stephanopoulos defamed him by asserting that Trump had been found liable for rape in a civil lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, when he was found liable for sexual abuse.
After Trump won the November presidential election, Disney-owned ABC agreed to settle the case and published an editor’s note saying the network and Stephanopoulos “regret” the statements made about Trump.
The settlement was seen as a major concession by a large media organization to Trump, whose previous efforts to sue news outlets had often ended in defeat.
CBS News
In October, Trump filed a lawsuit against Paramount, the parent company of US television network CBS, claiming the network and its flagship news show “60 Minutes” deceptively edited an interview with then-vice president Kamala Harris in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. Trump argued the move amounted to election interference.
While some US media outlets have suggested that Paramount was considering settling the issue out of court, no official announcements have yet been made.
The show continues to broadcast reports critical of the Trump administration.
Associated Press
The Associated Press, the leading US news agency, saw one of its White House reporters barred from the Oval Office last month in a row over Trump renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
In its style guide, the AP noted that the Gulf of Mexico has “carried that name for more than 400 years” and said it “will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen.”
The White House continues to block AP journalists from the Oval Office and extended the ban to the presidential plane, Air Force One, where the agency has long had permanent seats.
In response, the AP sued three White House officials, saying the ban violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and of the press.
A federal judge in February declined to immediately order the White House to restore AP’s full access to Trump events, but set a date for a more extensive hearing on the matter.
Des Moines Register
In December, Trump sued Iowa’s largest newspaper, the Des Moines Register, and an Iowa opinion pollster over a survey that predicted Harris, the Democratic White House nominee, would win the state that the Republican ultimately carried.
In the lawsuit, the president is seeking “accountability for the blatant election interference committed” in Harris’s favor.
Last month, the daily asked the federal judge overseeing the case to dismiss the suit, while Trump’s lawyers demanded the case be transferred back to the state court system.
(This story has not been edited by The Hindkesharistaff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)