Chris LaCivita, a senior manager for Donald Trump's successful 2024 presidential election bid, has abruptly withdrawn a high-profile defamation lawsuit against the news outlet the Daily Beast. The legal action, filed ten months ago, was dropped without fanfare on Friday, according to the publication.
A Lawsuit Centred on "Excessive Profit" Claims
The case stemmed from a series of reports published by the Daily Beast in early 2024, which focused on substantial payments from the Trump campaign to LaCivita's consulting firm. One notable article by journalist Michael Isikoff was headlined "Trump in Cash Crisis – As Campaign Chief’s $22m Pay Revealed."
LaCivita's lawsuit argued that this reporting created a false and damaging impression that he was personally profiting excessively from the campaign and prioritising personal gain over its success. He claimed the multimillion-dollar figure represented gross campaign advertising expenditures managed by his firm, not his personal income.
Following legal demands, the Daily Beast amended its reporting, reducing the cited figure to $19.2 million and clarifying the funds went to his firm. However, LaCivita's suit maintained these corrections did not fix the core alleged misrepresentation.
From "Fuck Around and Find Out" to Quiet Retreat
The decision to drop the suit marks a stark reversal from LaCivita's initially combative stance. In March 2024, he publicly declared of the legal action, "Fuck around and Find Out," and expressed eagerness to present his case before a jury.
His lawsuit had stated that repairing his professional reputation could cost millions of dollars, though it did not specify the damages sought. Despite this, the Daily Beast confirmed it did not retract the story, issue an apology, or make any financial payment to LaCivita as part of the suit's discontinuation.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Trump-World Media Litigation
This case fits a wider pattern of legal confrontations between Donald Trump, his allies, and media organisations, often centred on defamation claims. Trump and his circle have frequently used litigation to challenge reporting they deem hostile or inaccurate.
In a revealing anecdote, The Atlantic reported in November 2024 that Trump himself encouraged the lawsuit. According to their account, after furiously questioning LaCivita about the payments on a campaign plane, Trump told him, "You should sue those bastards." The former president later teasingly referred to LaCivita as "my $22m man."
The quiet end to this lawsuit closes one front in the ongoing battles between the Trump political operation and the press, underscoring the litigious environment surrounding modern US political journalism.
