Once a relatively rare move for public officials, threatening a libel suit is fast becoming a go-to tool for some who hope to influence public narratives, if not right wrongs. The odds that any elected official or candidate emerges victorious in a defamation suit are exceedingly low. Trump has a longstanding pattern of threatening libel actions that he either does not bring or does not continue. Others, including recent Trump campaign lawsuits against the Times and CNN, have been filed but dismissed by judges in state and federal courts. Trump knows that this is about the court of public opinion more than it is about the court of law.

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