A judge on Wednesday dismissed President Trump’s lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and its former pollster, J. Ann Selzer, which accused them of misrepresenting the state of the 2024 presidential race. Iowa District Judge Scott J. Beattie stated that allowing the lawsuit to proceed could discourage reporting on public affairs and described the claims as "faulty." Trump alleged that the newspaper's poll coverage violated Iowa’s consumer fraud law, claiming it was intended to damage him and assist Democrats.
In his ruling, Judge Beattie emphasized that the lawsuit attempted to extend Iowa law beyond its current limits, transforming protected speech into a liability. He noted that even if the allegations of intentional skewing of the poll were accepted as true, the lawsuit still failed to meet legal standards for fraud or consumer deception.
The lawsuit was filed in December 2024, and Trump has previously initiated several lawsuits against media organizations, raising questions about free speech protections for the press. Beattie concluded that the poll and its coverage are constitutionally protected political speech, not a commercial product.
U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and former Iowa state Senator Brad Zaun, both Republicans, joined Trump in the lawsuit. The poll, conducted by Selzer's company shortly before the 2024 election, indicated that then-Vice President Kamala Harris had 47% support among likely Iowa voters compared to Trump’s 44%. Ultimately, Trump received 56% of the votes from nearly 2 million Iowans.
Selzer's defense was supported by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which argued that poll coverage is not considered commercial speech, regardless of any profit involved. They contended that the coverage was constitutionally protected political speech and disputed the consumer fraud claim, asserting that there was no transactional relationship between the parties involved.