Trump sues CNN for defamation, claiming he's been labeled a 'racist' and 'Russian lackey'

Former President Donald Trump filed a defamation suit against CNN on Monday, accusing the network of "trying to tilt the political balance to the left" amid concerns he will run for president again in 2024. Trump is seeking at least $475 million in damages.

Trump has long railed against the media, calling reports he doesn't like "fake news," and his relationship with CNN has been contentious for years. His lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Florida, claims CNN is attempting to "taint the plaintiff with a series of ever-more scandalous, false, and defamatory labels of 'racist,' 'Russian lackey,' 'insurrectionist,' and ultimately 'Hitler.'" The suit also refers to CNN describing his false claims of election fraud in the 2020 election as "Trump's big lie."

Trump is facing his own defamation suit, filed by writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of raping her in the 1990s. His attorney filed a letter in federal court on Monday seeking to delay proceedings, including his deposition that is scheduled for Oct. 19. Trump was president when he accused Carroll of "totally lying" about being raped, and his attorney wants the U.S. government to be substituted as the defendant in the case; The New York Times notes that if this happens, the suit "cannot proceed, because the federal government cannot be sued for defamation."

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