The Pulitzer Prize Board escalated its legal battle with President Donald Trump on Thursday, filing a discovery request in Trump’s 2022 defamation lawsuit and declaring it will “not be cowed by the president’s attempt to intimidate journalists or undermine the First Amendment.”
Trump sued the Board after it awarded the 2018 National Reporting Pulitzer Prize to The New York Times and The Washington Post for their coverage of allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia—allegations Trump has long argued were baseless and politically motivated.
Pulitzer Board Pushes Discovery, Demands Proof of Harm
In its filing in Okeechobee County Circuit Court in Florida, the Pulitzer Board requested documentation supporting Trump’s claims that the award caused him reputational or financial harm.
The Board insisted the president must meet the same legal standards as any plaintiff:
“Just like any other plaintiff, the President must articulate and prove his claims with evidence. This filing is a standard step in the discovery process to assess a claim of damages and test their validity. The Pulitzer Board will not be cowed by the president’s attempt to intimidate journalists or undermine the First Amendment,” the organization told Fox News Digital.
Trump’s lawsuit argues that the Pulitzer-winning stories relied on a “demonstrably false connection” between his campaign and Russia and that this flawed premise was the basis for awarding the prize.
Award Recognized Reporting Later Undermined by Federal Investigations
The Times and Post were honored for “deeply sourced, relentlessly reported coverage in the public interest that dramatically furthered the nation’s understanding of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its connections to the Trump campaign, the President-elect’s transition team and his eventual administration.”
However, Trump’s complaint highlights several developments that have since cast doubt on the original reporting:
- Special Counsel Robert Mueller failed to establish evidence of criminal collusion.
- A Department of Justice Inspector General report identified significant misconduct and inaccuracies in the federal investigation into Trump’s campaign.
These findings reinforced the belief among many conservatives that the Russia-collusion narrative was politically driven and amplified by a sympathetic media establishment.
Trump Team Predicts Victory
A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said the president remains confident:
“President Trump is committed to holding those who traffic in fake news, lies, and smears to account, and he will see this powerhouse lawsuit through to a winning conclusion. This case has always been about correcting the record, revealing the truth, and vindicating the president and his supporters against the lies told to the American people by the Democrats and their PR machine known as ‘legacy media.'”
Trump previously sought a full correction or retraction from the Pulitzer Board, along with the rescinding of the 2018 awards, but the Board has repeatedly refused.
Additional Context: Trump and the Nobel Peace Prize
While Trump now challenges the Pulitzer Board over media accountability, he has also pursued global recognition for his foreign policy accomplishments—particularly through nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize.
- In 2020, Trump received several nominations for brokering the Abraham Accords, historic peace agreements that normalized relations between Israel and multiple Arab nations.
- He also received nominations for facilitating Serbia–Kosovo economic normalization, as well as for his administration’s efforts in the North Korea diplomatic initiative.
- Despite support from some foreign officials and conservative lawmakers, the Nobel Committee ultimately awarded the prize elsewhere, prompting many Republicans to argue that Trump’s diplomatic breakthroughs were undervalued for political reasons.
