Trump communications firm sues Washington Post for defamation, expects to receive more than $3 billion

Former President Donald Trump's media and technology company filed a defamation lawsuit against The Washington Post in Florida state court. The company is seeking $3.78 billion in damages.

Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), owner of the social media platform Truth Social, accused the famous media outlet of publishing an "egregious hit piece that falsely accused TMTG of securities fraud and other wrongdoing."

According to the lawsuit, the article published earlier this month caused the company to expose itself "to public ridicule, contempt and distrust." The company believes that the allegations damaged both TMTG's business and reputation.

The article referenced in the lawsuit was titled "Trust linked to porn-friendly bank could gain a stake in Trump's Truth Social." It used the testimony of Will Wilkerson, a former TMTG employee who, according to the complaint, has been responsible for publicly peddling false stories about TMTG to numerous media outlets since he was fired.

Trump's other claims against the media

Donald Trump has already filed lawsuits against other media outlets. In fact, in October last year, the former president filed a defamation lawsuit against CNN. Trump's lawyers claimed that the media used its influence "for the purpose of defeating him politically" with false claims.

"[CNN] has undertaken a smear campaign to malign the Plaintiff with a barrage of negative associations and innuendo," Trump's defenders said.

In 2021, he also filed a lawsuit against The New York Times for "conspiring" with Mary Trump (niece of the former president) to obtain "confidential and highly sensitive records." However, a judge dismissed the case, noting that how the media gather news is part of the journalistic activity that the First Amendment protects.