ANNALS OF TRUMPI$TAN: Donald Trump's lawsuit against Bob Woodward over audiobook is dismissed. (Jonathan Stempel, Reuters, July 18, 2025)

Another day, another stinky, quirky, cranky, bogus lawsuit by DONALD JOHN. TRUMP is DISMISSED.  

Donald Trump's lawsuit against Bob Woodward over audiobook is dismissed

By Jonathan Stempel

July 18, 2025 6:35 PM EDTUpdated 21 hours ago

Journalist Bob Woodward arrives at Trump Tower in New York, U.S., January 3, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo Purchase LicensingRights, opens new tab

• Summary
• Companies

• Trump didn't show he had copyright interest
• Defendants said Woodward was 'true' author of audiobook
• Trump's lawyers call decision biased, demand accountability

NEW YORK, July 18 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump's nearly $50 million lawsuit against the journalist Bob Woodward for publishing tapes from interviews for his 2020 best-seller "Rage" as an audiobook.

The decision by U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe in Manhattan is a victory for Woodward, his publisher Simon & Schuster and its former owner Paramount Global (PARA.O)

Woodward interviewed Trump 19 times between December 2019 and August 2020, and about 20% of "Rage" came from the interviews.

The book was released in September 2020, while the audiobook "The Trump Tapes," including Woodward's commentary, was released in October 2022.

In a 59-page decision, Gardephe said Trump did not plausibly allege that he and Woodward intended to be joint authors of "The Trump Tapes," saying Simon & Schuster credited Trump as a "reader" while crediting Woodward as the author.

The judge, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush, also said Trump did not show he had a copyright interest in his stand-alone responses to Woodward's questions.