Trump Media and Technology Group Sues The Washington Post For Defamation

Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), a venture headed by the former President Donald Trump, has launched a $3.78 billion defamation suit against The Washington Post. The action alleges that an article from the newspaper poses a significant risk to the survival of TMTG’s social media venture, Truth Social. The lawsuit, currently lodged in Sarasota County, Florida, accuses The Washington Post of penning and publishing a devastating “hit piece,” alleging TMTG of securities fraud and other crimes. We obtained a copy of the lawsuit for you here. TMTG asserts that this article amounts to an “existential threat” to Truth Social, with a potential to derail its nascent operations. In the lawsuit, TMTG also charges that the newspaper has consistently and consciously engaged in a campaign to undermine its operation, deliberately concealing relevant facts that contradict their story. As of Sunday, The Washington Post had not provided a public response to the lawsuit. On May 13 2023, The Washington Post published an article with the headline, “Trust linked to porn-friendly bank could gain a stake in Trump’s Truth Social.” According to the lawsuit, the Post made the following false statements: “An obscure financial entity … would gain a sizable stake in former president Donald Trump’s media company if its merger deal proceeds;” “[T]he role ES Family Trust would assume in Trump Media and Technology Group has never been officially disclosed to the Securities and Exchange Commission [“SEC”] or to shareholders in Digital World Acquisition [“DWAC”], the special purpose acquisition company, or…Trump Media and Technology Group Sues The Washington Post For Defamation