In a major legal victory, President Donald Trump has successfully secured the transfer of his lawsuit against Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer and The Des Moines Register to Iowa State Court. This decision came after an appeals court sided with the president, ruling that a lower court had overstepped its bounds. Trump's legal team had initially filed to move the case to state court back in May, accusing Selzer and The Des Moines Register of engaging in "brazen election interference" with a late-stage poll that showed Democrat Kamala Harris leading Trump in Iowa.
For context, this controversial poll was released just days before the 2024 election and seemed to create an air of inevitability around Harris, despite her trailing Trump by several points in previous polls. According to Trump’s team, the poll was more than just a statistical anomaly—it was an intentional attempt to skew the election's outcome by generating a false narrative. The fact that this poll, which showed Harris leading Trump by three points, came just days before voters headed to the polls only added fuel to the fire.
In a sharply worded opinion, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals granted Trump’s request for a writ of mandamus—something typically reserved for cases where legal errors are clear. This judicial order overturned the decision of an Obama-appointed federal judge who had previously denied Trump’s request to move the case to state court. Now, the case will be litigated in Iowa, where Trump’s legal team insists it belongs.
A spokesperson for Trump’s team expressed satisfaction with the ruling, emphasizing that this decision is a win against "fake news" and election interference. "These defendants have repeatedly engaged in unlawful gamesmanship to avoid State Court, and that ends today," the spokesperson declared. Trump’s legal team remains committed to holding those responsible for spreading false narratives accountable.
On the other hand, Bob Corn-Revere, counsel for Selzer, dismissed the case as frivolous, arguing that the 8th Circuit ruling focused only on procedural points rather than the merits of the case. Corn-Revere maintained that the case would ultimately prove to be groundless, regardless of which court hears it.
Gannett, the parent company of The Des Moines Register, expressed confidence that the case should be heard in federal court, considering the high-profile nature of the case, with the president himself as the plaintiff. However, they pledged to accept the state court's ruling should the lawsuit proceed in that venue.
The lawsuit was originally filed in December 2024 and seeks "accountability" for what Trump’s team calls "brazen election interference" related to the poll published just days before the election. The Trump team insists that the poll was manipulated to create a false narrative that Harris had the upper hand in Iowa. The reality, of course, was a stunning victory for Trump, who crushed Harris by over 13 percentage points in Iowa—a state he had already won twice and hadn't seen such a decisive margin since 1980.
Trump’s legal victory here is a solid reminder that he's not backing down from anyone who dares to meddle with the integrity of the election process. It’s just another day in the fight to ensure that the people’s vote isn't overshadowed by media games or political manipulation. In the end, it’s clear—Trump is far from done.
Winning isn’t just for elections—it’s for the truth, and President Trump will keep fighting for it.
