“CNN’s statements, while disgusting, were not, as a matter of law, defamatory,” wrote Singhal, who sits in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, near Trump’s home at his Mar-a-Lago compound. .
In a statement, a Trump spokesperson said: “We agree with the highly respected judge’s findings that CNN’s statements about President Trump are repugnant. CNN will be held accountable for its unfair mistreatment of President Trump and his supporters.”
The statement did not say whether Trump will appeal the decision.
The lawsuit, which was filed in October 2022, highlighted five instances in which CNN published stories or aired comments referring to Trump’s claims about the 2020 election as his “big lie.” The phrase is also associated with the Nazi regime’s use of propaganda.
The wording, the lawsuit says, constituted “a deliberate effort by CNN to propagate to its audience an association between the plaintiff and one of the most repugnant figures in modern history.”
But the mere use of the phrase “big lie” is not enough to give rise to a real connotation, Singhal wrote.
“No reasonable viewer could (or should) plausibly make that reference,” he said.
Since launching his first presidential campaign in 2015, Trump has often attacked media outlets whose coverage he doesn’t like, with CNN being one of his favorite targets.
Trump is the favorite to win the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, despite facing state and federal impeachments.