U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against Iowa’s prominent newspaper Des Moines Register, its parent company, and former pollster J. Ann Selzer, Adyrna national portal reports, citing the BBC.
Trump accused them of “gross election interference” ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
A poll published on November 2 indicated that Trump was trailing Kamala Harris by several percentage points in Iowa, a state he had won decisively in both 2016 and 2020. The poll was conducted by J. Ann Selzer, whose research has long been regarded as highly credible. However, Trump called the poll’s findings “deliberate falsification.”
According to Trump, the poll results were created to “manipulate public opinion and influence election outcomes.” Nevertheless, on election day, Trump won Iowa by a 13-point margin.
In the lawsuit, Trump demanded financial compensation from the Des Moines Register and called for the disclosure of all methodological data related to the poll.
“I believe this is not just manipulation but outright fraud and election interference. This must be addressed,” Trump said during a press conference.
A spokesperson for the newspaper, Lark-Marie Anton, stated that the poll’s methodology had been fully disclosed and admitted that the final results did not accurately predict Trump’s victory. She maintained that the publication’s actions were lawful and expected the lawsuit to be dismissed.
This incident is seen as a continuation of Trump’s critical stance toward U.S. media. Previously, ABC News apologized for a statement about Trump and agreed to donate $15 million to his foundation and future museum.
Notably, Trump’s actions against U.S. media persist even after his election victory.