Sues Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer over pre-election Iowa poll as 'election interferen

On December 16, 2024, Trump announced at a Mar-a-Lago press conference and then filed a lawsuit in Iowa's Polk County district court against pollster J. Ann Selzer, Selzer & Co., the Des Moines Register, and parent company Gannett over a November 2 Iowa Poll that showed Kamala Harris leading by three points in a state Trump won by thirteen. Rather than defamation, the suit invoked the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, sought treble damages and an injunction against future 'deceptive' polls, and characterized the poll as 'brazen election interference.' Trump said 'I'm doing this because I feel I have an obligation to.' First Amendment groups, including FIRE, which took up Selzer's defense, characterized the suit as a SLAPP action seeking to punish protected speech, and press-freedom advocates placed it in his broader litigation campaign against media organizations days after ABC News settled his defamation suit for $15 million.

“I'm doing this because I feel I have an obligation to.” Quote verified against source