On July 28, 2023, a federal judge in Florida dismissed a $475 million defamation lawsuit Donald Trump filed against CNN. The lawsuit contends that CNN, by referring to Trump's 2020 "rigged" election claim as the "Big Lie," constitutes defamation.
Trump appealed, and on November 17, 2025, a federal appeals court rejected his appeal.
Two of the three Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals Judges (Kevin Newsom and Elizabeth L. Branch) were appointed by Trump.
According to the official appeals court decision, the 2023 court dismissed Trump's lawsuit because "the statements of which he complained were 'opinion, not factually false statements'," and because Trump did not "sufficiently plead that CNN acted with actual malice." The appeals court agreed that Trump did not show that the statements made were factually false.
In the lawsuit, Trump claimed that the phrase "Big Lie" was intended to associate him with Hitler and Nazi propaganda. The appeals court addressed this by saying:
Trump's argument is unpersuasive. First, although he concedes that CNN's use of the term "Big Lie" is, to some extent, ambiguous, he assumes that it is unambiguous enough to constitute a statement of fact. This assumption is untenable.
The appeals court went on to say:
Trump's argument hinges on the fact that his own interpretation of his conduct—i.e., that he was exercising a constitutional right to identify his concerns with the integrity of elections—is true and that CNN's interpretation—i.e., that Trump was peddling his "Big Lie"—is false. However, his conduct is susceptible to multiple subjective interpretations, including CNN's.
Trump's other arguments are likewise meritless.
Source:
(November 18, 2025). "Trump Judges Throw Out His "Meritless" Lawsuit Against CNN". The New republic. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
Berman, Dan. (July 28, 2023). "Judge says CNN's use of 'Big Lie' regarding Trump isn't defamation". CNN. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
(November 18, 2025). "DONALD JOHN TRUMP, Plaintiff-Appellant, versus CABLE NEWS NETWORK, INC.". s3.documentcloud.org. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
On September 16, 2025, Trump filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times. Three days later the lawsuit was struck down.
On October 17, 2025, Trump refiled the $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times.
Commentary:
This is another ridiculous and "meritless" example of how Trump keeps trying to rewrite history.
The appeals court explanation shines a light on the inner workings of Trump's egotistical persona and his warped mind. Trump thinks that his belief (interpretation) is true and that CNN's is false. In Trump's mind he is always right and anyone challenging him is always wrong.
Although the courts didn't address the fact that in actuality, Trump lost the 2020 election (Joe Biden was sworn in as president and he served his entire four-year term), this fact goes a long, long way to support not only CNN's use of the phrase "Big Lie," but to others using it as well.
The fact that Trump appealed the initial 2023 decision is more evidence of how he thinks he is always right. Only a person completely controlled by their ego like Trump would go to this extent with such baseless arguments.
Finally, this lawsuit (and the lawsuits filed against The New York Times) are more examples of the countless number of lawsuits Trump has filed during his lifetime. Whenever he feels he is being cheated or somehow "wronged" he files a lawsuit. Who else in the history of America has filed more lawsuits than Trump?