Donald Trump Complained That Libel Laws Make it Hard for Him to Sue Journalists
Type: Disdain for Rule of LawJan 10 2018 Severity: Targeted: Independent Media
Donald Trump expressed frustration that current libel laws make it difficult for him and others to sue journalists for what he considers "fake news." However, Trump will have a very difficult time for a myriad of reasons, mainly because libel laws are a state issue. That, and a Supreme Court ruling in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan established something called the "actual malice standard," which makes it very difficult to prove libel.
Quote | His answer is to "take a very strong look" at libel laws in the US.
"Our current libel laws are a sham and a disgrace, and do not represent American values or American fairness," Trump said.
"So we're going to take a strong look at that. We want fairness. You can't say things that are false, knowingly false, and be able to smile as money pours into your bank account ... I think what the American people want to see is fairness."
Targeted by Trump