A judge in Idaho on Wednesday dismissed President Trump’s lawsuit against The Des Moines Register, which published a poll of Iowans before the 2024 election that showed him trailing Kamala Harris, then the vice president.
Mr. Trump filed the lawsuit in December 2024, after winning the presidency, and Iowa, as he escalated his threats of retribution against the mainstream media and his political enemies.
His lawsuit accused the pollster J. Ann Selzer, her polling firm, The Des Moines Register and Gannett, the newspaper’s parent company, of “brazen election interference” for a poll published shortly before the election that showed Ms. Harris leading Mr. Trump in Iowa by three points. He won in Iowa by double digits.
Mr. Trump’s lawsuit also accused Ms. Selzer of violating the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, which prohibits deceptive practices in advertising.
District Court Judge Scott J. Beattie said that the case “involves a speech on a matter of public interest and concern” and that allowing such a lawsuit to proceed could discourage others from “reporting and debating public affairs.”
The White House and a personal lawyer for Mr. Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Lawyers for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, who are representing Ms. Selzer, hailed the ruling.
“We’re pleased that the court recognized what we’ve said all along: This lawsuit was laughable from the beginning and never should have been brought,” said Bob Corn-Revere, a lawyer for FIRE. “The First Amendment does not allow anyone in government, least of all the president, to punish people under the banner of ‘fake news.’”
In another case related to Mr. Trump’s battles against the news media, a federal judge in Washington heard arguments on Wednesday over the White House’s ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico. Mr. Trump barred the news organizations from the White House last week over of their reporting in a longstanding effort to retaliate against journalists.
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