Trump is now threatening to sue The Des Moines Register and the former pollster for their inaccurate Iowa poll. The newspaper should dare Trump to sue and laugh at his threat.
Video:
Trump says he plans to sue Ann Selzer and the newspaper in Iowa that published her poll showing Trump losing just days before the election pic.twitter.com/ujSmW3GTTM
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 16, 2024
Trump said while speaking to reporters:
I have a few others that I’m doing I’m going to, as an example, we’re bringing, I’m doing this not because I want to, I’m doing this because I feel I have an obligation to. I’m going to be bringing one against the people in Iowa, their newspaper, which had a very good pollster who got me right all the time.
And then just before the election, she said I was going to lose by three or four points and it became the biggest story all over the world because I was going to win Iowa by 20 points. The farmers love me and I love the farmers. And it was interesting the way she did it. She brought it down two weeks before.
She said I was going to only win by four. That was a big story. But that was good because she brought it down from 22 points to four or whatever the number was. Way up. Way up. Easy win. Never even thought to go there. I respect them. I love them.
These are deranged ramblings of a person who is out of touch with reality. Of course, Trump will bring the lawsuit because the point of the lawsuit isn’t to win but to scare pollsters out of publishing bad news for Trump.
Since arriving on the national political scene, Trump’s goal has been to control the news coverage, which means controlling everything, including public opinion polls. Trump is trying to scare all pollsters out of publishing polls that show his unpopularity.
The correct response from The Des Moines Register is to do the opposite of what Disney and ABC did with the defamation suit and tell Trump to sue. The newspaper should look forward to the lawsuit because it will be laughed out of court.
Trump is trying to gain control of the media. The Des Moines Register can take a stand for the free press by not repeating ABC’s mistake.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association