Trump Sues Iowa Pollster and Newspaper Over Election Poll
Trump Sues Iowa Pollster, Newspaper Over Pre-Election Survey
former President Donald Trump is suing prominent Iowa pollster Ann Selzer, her firm, and the Des Moines Register, alleging consumer fraud over a pre-election poll that showed Kamala Harris leading in the state.
The lawsuit, filed Monday night in Polk County, Iowa, claims the November 2 poll, which showed Harris ahead by 3 percentage points, constituted ”election-interfering fiction” because Trump ultimately won Iowa by a double-digit margin. Trump’s legal team is arguing this discrepancy violates the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, which prohibits deceptive advertising.
“I’m doing this because I feel I have an obligation to. I’m going to be bringing one against the people in Iowa,their newspaper,which had a very,very good pollster who got me right all the time,and then just before the election,she said I was going to lose by 3 or 4 points,” Trump said in a statement on Monday.
Selzer, who announced after the election that she would cease political polling, has a long-standing reputation for accuracy in Iowa.
Legal Experts Skeptical of Trump’s Claims
Media law experts expressed doubt about the lawsuit’s likelihood of success.
“The odds of success here are slim to none, but winning in court is not likely the real goal of this lawsuit,” said Clay Calvert, a media law expert and professor at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law. “The true motivation is to intimidate the press and journalists. I unfortunately suspect this lawsuit is just a harbinger of things to come.”
The suit alleges a pattern by Selzer of attempting to influence political races in favor of Democrats, arguing that her platform provides a “significant and impactful possibility to deceive voters.”
Part of a Broader Campaign against Media Coverage
This lawsuit is the latest in Trump’s ongoing campaign against media coverage and analysis he perceives as biased.
Over the weekend, Trump secured a $15 million payout from ABC News in a defamation case, along with an additional $1 million to cover his legal fees.
election law expert Rick Hasen of UCLA School of Law dismissed the lawsuit outright, stating on his blog, “I don’t expect this lawsuit to go anywhere.”
Trump’s Iowa Pollster Lawsuit: “Election-Interfering Fiction” or Free Speech?
Des Moines, Iowa – Former President Donald Trump is escalating his legal battle against perceived media bias, filing a consumer fraud lawsuit against prominent Iowa pollster Ann Selzer, her firm, and the Des Moines Register. The lawsuit stems from a pre-election poll showing Kamala Harris leading in Iowa by 3 percentage points, a prediction that starkly contrasted with Trump’s eventual double-digit victory in the state.
Trump’s legal team argues that the discrepancy constitutes “election-interfering fiction,” violating the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, which prohibits deceptive advertising. The former President maintains that Selzer, known for her longstanding accuracy in Iowa polling, intentionally produced misleading results to favor Democrats.
“I’m doing this as I feel I have an obligation to,” Trump stated, “I’m going to be bringing one against the people in Iowa, their newspaper, which had a very,very good pollster who got me right all the time, and then just before the election, she said I was going to lose by 3 or 4 points.”
However,legal experts are skeptical of the lawsuit’s merit. Clay Calvert, a media law expert at the University of Florida, believes the suit’s odds of success are “slim to none,” suggesting that its primary aim might be to intimidate the press.”The true motivation is to intimidate the press and journalists. I unfortunately suspect this lawsuit is just a harbinger of things to come,” Calvert stated.
Rick Hasen, an election law expert at UCLA School of Law, dismissed the lawsuit outright, predicting it “won’t go anywhere.” This lawsuit follows Trump’s recent $15 million defamation settlement with ABC News, signaling a broader campaign against media coverage he deems biased. As the legal battle unfolds, it raises critical questions about the boundaries of free speech, the role of polling in elections, and the ongoing tension between political leaders and the media.