Trump threatens defamation suit against left-leaning think tank
August 21, 2026 / 9:10 PM EDT / CBS News
TL;DR
- President Trump's legal team is threatening to sue the Center for American Progress (CAP) for defamation.
- The lawsuit threat stems from a CAP report issued in July that concluded National Guard deployments had no measurable effect on violent crime.
- Trump's lawyers sent a letter demanding a retraction, apology, and compensation, threatening a lawsuit seeking at least $5 billion in damages.
- CAP's legal team responded by stating that truth is not defamation and that disagreeing with the government is central to American democracy.
- CAP President and CEO Neera Tanden called the threatened lawsuit baseless and an attempt to silence the organization.
- The report analyzed crime data in cities where National Guard troops were deployed, including Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Memphis, and New Orleans.
- Legal experts note that public figures suing for defamation must prove 'actual malice,' making a dispute over statistics unlikely to succeed.
- This action is part of a pattern of President Trump using lawsuits against perceived political opponents.