President-elect Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against The Des Moines Register, its parent company Gannett, and pollster Ann Selzer, accusing them of “brazen election interference” due to a pre-election poll that allegedly underestimated his support in Iowa, Al Jazeera reports.
The lawsuit, filed late Monday, alleges violations of Iowa consumer fraud law and seeks triple damages.
The November 2nd poll, conducted by Selzer and published by The Des Moines Register, showed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris holding a three-point lead in Iowa. This result drew significant attention given Trump’s substantial victories in the state in 2016 and 2020. In the recent election, Trump won Iowa by over 13 percentage points.
The lawsuit centers on the claim that the poll intentionally downplayed Trump’s popularity. A spokeswoman for The Des Moines Register, Lark-Marie Anton, responded by stating that the newspaper stands by its reporting and considers the lawsuit meritless. Anton noted that the Register had already released the poll’s full data and methodology to address concerns about its accuracy.
Pollster Ann Selzer, in a previous interview with PBS, expressed bewilderment at the suggestion that she manipulated the poll results. She has not yet publicly responded to the lawsuit directly.
This legal action follows Trump’s recent settlement of a defamation case against ABC News. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has strongly condemned the lawsuit against the Register and Selzer, calling it a “direct assault” on the First Amendment. FIRE argues that holding media outlets accountable for inaccurate polling data sets a dangerous precedent that threatens freedom of speech.
Legal experts suggest that Trump faces significant hurdles in winning this case due to robust US free speech protections. However, the lawsuit could still create challenges for news organizations by potentially exposing internal communications and requiring depositions from journalists and executives. Trump is also currently engaged in a separate lawsuit against CBS News.
