Recent lawsuits filed by Donald Trump and his allies signal that the President-elect’s fight with the American media is set to escalate in the coming years.

For years, Trump repeatedly threatened to sue U.S. news outlets, accusing them of spreading "fake news," but he rarely followed through. In the few lawsuits he pursued, he almost always lost.

However, a recent settlement between Trump and ABC News, along with a slew of other lawsuits and complaints against media outlets by him and his allies, suggests a more intense legal battle is brewing.

"U.S. laws haven’t really changed, but what has changed is the atmosphere and the hostility toward the press, which is becoming very intense," said David Korzenik, a New York-based attorney who defends media organizations in lawsuits brought by Trump.

According to two of Trump’s aides, the President-elect and his allies are ramping up pressure on the media and have no plans to ease up.

Two months before the presidential election, Trump attacked the media over 100 times in public speeches and other remarks. A week before Election Day, he threatened to sue The New York Times. His campaign also filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against The Washington Post. Trump even sued CBS News, alleging they edited an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris in a "deceptive" way.

Last week, the President-elect filed a lawsuit accusing polling firm J. Ann Selzer and the Des Moines Register of "misleading consumers." The case stemmed from a poll showing him trailing Harris in Iowa—a conservative state he ultimately won.

Lark-Marie Antón, a spokesperson for Gannett, the parent company of the Des Moines Register, stated that while the poll results differed from the election outcome, "we stand by our reporting and believe there is no basis for the lawsuit."

The following day, Trump declared his intention to continue suing the media.

"We have to fix the media, even if it costs a lot of money," he said at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Steven Cheung, Trump’s spokesperson, noted that the President-elect is focusing on "false and dishonest reporting that does not serve the public interest but seeks to interfere in elections for partisan gain."

Korzenik recently attended a meeting of attorneys specializing in defending media outlets. Some participants expressed concern over Trump’s increasingly aggressive legal strategies against the U.S. press.

"There is a fear that the lawsuits will pile up, burdening media organizations with litigation costs to the point where they can no longer operate effectively," Korzenik explained.

ABC News’ recent announcement that it would pay $15 million to Trump’s foundation or a presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit stunned the U.S. media and legal communities.

The lawsuit centered on remarks made by anchor George Stephanopoulos, who claimed on-air in March that Trump had been found guilty of "raping" former journalist E. Jean Carroll. Carroll accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a New York department store in 1996.

In reality, a New York jury found Trump guilty of "sexual abuse," but not "rape" under state law. However, the judge clarified that this did not mean Carroll had failed to prove that Trump had "raped" her as commonly understood.

According to three sources familiar with the matter, ABC News and its parent company, Disney, decided to settle not only due to legal risks but also because of potential retaliation from the President-elect.

During a December 13 meeting, Disney executives and attorneys faced a looming deadline after federal judge Cecilia Altonaga denied a request for a trial delay and ordered Disney to submit "all remaining documents" by December 15.

Disney, which operates in over 130 countries and employs around 225,000 people, concluded that taking on a sitting President-elect could jeopardize its operations. ABC News, which oversees more than 230 affiliated stations nationwide, faced potential challenges renewing licenses with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Trump had previously suggested pulling broadcast licenses from networks he disliked.

Disney also had pending merger plans that executives hoped would gain approval from the Justice Department, soon to be led by Trump loyalist Pam Bondi.

Further litigation risked exposing internal communications involving Stephanopoulos, which could have been damaging. If the case went to trial, it would face a jury in Florida, a state Trump carried in the election. Appeals could drag on for years and potentially reach the Supreme Court.

Disney’s General Counsel Horacio Gutierrez proposed a settlement, which CEO Bob Iger approved.

The settlement energized Trump’s allies, who viewed it as a victory and a boost for his aggressive approach to confronting the media in his second term.

Stephen K. Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, praised Trump’s legal adviser Boris Epshteyn on December 15.

"Epshteyn has crafted one brilliant legal strategy after another. I know it’s brilliant because George Stephanopoulos just had to pay $15 million!" Bannon declared to cheers.

Meanwhile, journalists and First Amendment advocates expressed dismay.

"This is shocking and a major blow to anyone working in a large media company," said Chuck Todd, host of NBC News. "It sets a troubling precedent."

"What’s concerning is that we may be witnessing the convergence of legal, political, and social forces working together to erode public trust in the U.S. press," said RonNell Andersen Jones, a law professor at the University of Utah. "Every settlement sends a message about the broader climate for American journalism. It could encourage others to file lawsuits alleging 'disrespect' and pressure media outlets into self-censorship."

Observers noted that conflicts between U.S. presidents and the press are nothing new. Richard Nixon famously kept an "enemies list" of journalists, while his vice president, Spiro Agnew, labeled them "nattering nabobs of negativism."

Bill Clinton criticized press coverage of his White House scandals, and the Obama administration prosecuted a record number of journalists for using anonymous sources.

However, legal experts warn that Trump has taken the fight to a new level, threatening press freedom.

"This fake news network has paid a heavy price for what they’ve done to our great country," Trump wrote on Truth Social in September, targeting NBC News.

Experts caution that Trump’s return to the Oval Office could bring even greater challenges.

"My concern is what he will do with the power of the U.S. government. It seems like all barriers have been removed, and we’re heading into a presidency unlike any we’ve seen before," said Liliana Hall Mason, a political science professor at the University of Maryland.

(Sources: Washington Post, AFP, Reuters)

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