Donald Trump isn’t likely to open up libel laws — for fear of being sued himself!
“’You know, you might be sued a lot more,’” Trump said someone told him about his previous suggestion to make lawsuits easier for defamatory statements.
“I said, You know, I hadn’t thought of that,” the president-elect recounted.
The comments come from the president-elect’s first extensive interview since winning the Nov. 8 election, a 75 minute affair with reporters, editors and columnists at The New York Times in Midtown.
Trump told the paper that it shouldn’t be worried about his respect for the Constitution’s First Amendment.
“I think you’ll be happy,” he said.
In the middle of the heated Republican presidential primary, Trump, however, did promise to “open up” libel laws.
“One of the things I’m going to do if I win, and I hope we do and we’re certainly leading. I’m going to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money. We’re going to open up those libel laws,” Trump said Feb. 2, 2016 at a campaign rally in Fort Worth, Texas.
“So when The New York Times writes a hit piece which is a total disgrace or when The Washington Post, which is there for other reasons, writes a hit piece, we can sue them and win money instead of having no chance of winning because they’re totally protected,” he added.
But Tuesday’s comments indicate he may take a different path once sworn in as president on Jan. 20, 2016.