Hunter
07/03/25
The Des Moines Register reports a federal district court has rejected President Donald Trump’s attempt to voluntarily dismiss his lawsuit against the Des Moines Register, a setback to the president as he attempts to move his claims against the newspaper to state court.
Trump sued the Register; its parent company, Gannett; and its former pollster, J. Ann Selzer, in December over an Iowa Poll released shortly before the Nov. 5 presidential election that allegedly overstated Iowa’s support for Trump’s opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump claims in his suit that the poll’s publication amounted to election interference and violated the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act.
The suit was originally filed in state court, but Gannett filed a motion to move it to federal court. Both Gannett and Selzer filed motions to dismiss the suit entirely, saying Trump’s claims were unsupported.
Trump also tried to add Mariannette Miller-Meeks and former Iowa state senator Brad Zaun to the suit, claiming they were also hurt by the poll. That request was denied in May. Trump appealed , and on Monday filed to dismiss the federal suit and filed a state suit, adding Miller-Meeks and Zaun.
Gannett and Selzer filed motions to strike Trump’s dismissal of the federal case, accusing Trump of trying to move the case back to state court to avoid a new law granting defendents additional rights against strategic lawsuits against public participation.
Late Wednesday, judge Rebecca Ebinger sided with the defendants and said Trump’s move to dismiss the federal case while an appeal is pending is improper.