A federal judge on Friday dismissed President Donald Trump’s $49.98 million lawsuit against veteran journalist Bob Woodward, rejecting claims that Woodward unlawfully published Trump interview recordings as an audiobook.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe in Manhattan marks a legal win for Woodward, his publisher Simon & Schuster, and its former parent company, Paramount Global.
Trump had accused Woodward of improperly using audio recordings from 19 interviews conducted between December 2019 and August 2020 for Woodward’s 2020 book Rage and its 2022 companion audiobook The Trump Tapes. The interviews made up about 20% of the original book.
In a detailed 59-page opinion, Judge Gardephe ruled that Trump failed to plausibly argue that he and Woodward had jointly authored The Trump Tapes. He noted that Simon & Schuster properly credited Trump as a “reader” and Woodward as the sole author.
The judge, a George W. Bush appointee, also found that Trump did not hold copyright over his isolated responses in the interviews. Moreover, he said federal copyright law preempted Trump’s state-level legal claims.
Gardephe gave Trump until August 18 to revise and refile his complaint if he chooses.
A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team slammed the decision, calling it “another biased action by a New York Court,” and criticized the lack of a hearing. “We will continue to ensure that those who commit wrongdoing against President Trump and all Americans are held accountable,” the statement said.
Attorneys for Woodward, Simon & Schuster, and Paramount declined to comment.
Woodward and the publisher argued that the interviews were conducted as part of traditional journalism and fell under fair use protections. They also emphasized that no U.S. president before Trump had ever claimed ownership or demanded royalties over interviews with journalists.
The defense compared Woodward’s work to interviews conducted by legendary journalists like Walter Cronkite and Barbara Walters, asserting that Woodward alone shaped the final product.
Trump’s lawsuit, first filed in January 2023, claimed he had made clear to Woodward that the interviews were meant solely for the printed book. Woodward countered that no such agreement was ever made.
Trump’s legal team had calculated the damages at just under $50 million based on a projection of 2 million audiobook sales at $24.99 each.
Simon & Schuster was sold in October 2023 by Paramount to private equity firm KKR in a $1.62 billion cash deal.
