US judge throws out Trump’s $3.8bn defamation lawsuit against Washington Post | Washington Post
US politics | The Guardian — 2026-07-08 10:18:00 — www.theguardian.com
Trump’s Defamation Lawsuit Against Washington Post Dismissed: Judge Finds No Malice in Reporting
A federal judge in Florida has dismissed Donald Trump’s $3.8 billion defamation lawsuit against the Washington Post, marking another legal setback in Trump’s ongoing battles with major media outlets. The lawsuit centered on a 2023 article that reported Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) had received funding from a bank linked to the pornography industry as it built the Truth Social platform.
Trump’s Claims of Malice Rejected
Trump argued in court that the Washington Post acted with malice, calling the article an “egregious hit piece” and accusing the newspaper of engaging in a “years-long crusade” against him. However, Judge Thomas Patrick Barber, a Trump appointee, ruled that TMTG “failed to present evidence that would allow a jury to find by clear and convincing evidence” that the Post acted with actual malice—the legal standard required for a public figure to win a defamation case.
Pattern of Legal Defeats
This ruling is the latest in a series of defeats for Trump in lawsuits against media organizations. Earlier this year, separate Florida judges dismissed Trump’s actions against the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, and TMTG dropped a defamation claim against the Guardian.
Correction Issued by the Washington Post
The Washington Post published a correction to its original article in May, clarifying that “discovery in the ongoing litigation has established that Trump Media didn’t pay a loan referral fee of $240,000, as was stated in the article and was based on The Post’s reporting at the time of publication.” The Post also corrected its reporting that Trump Media and its merger partner failed to disclose the payment, acknowledging that “no such payment was made.”
Trump Media’s Response
In a statement to the Post, TMTG characterized the correction as a victory, stating: “After three years, The Washington Post finally admitted its harmful story was false. We believe a jury should decide whether these falsehoods were actionable and will evaluate whether to appeal last week’s ruling in due course. We will also continue to hold the media accountable.”
Conclusion
While Trump and his media company continue to claim they are the victims of false and malicious reporting, the courts have repeatedly found no evidence of actual malice or actionable defamation. The Washington Post’s correction addresses factual errors in its reporting, but the judge’s ruling underscores the high bar for public figures to prevail in defamation cases. As Trump’s legal challenges against the press continue to falter, the pattern highlights the difficulty of proving intentional falsehoods in high-profile media coverage.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jul/08/trump-washington-post-defamation-lawsuit