# A Perfectly Reasonable Amount of Schadenfreude about Things Happening to Trump & His Enablers (Part 3) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [January 20, 2025, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-3/1013175 "2025-01-20T19:23:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 1393
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-3/1013175/1393 "2025-07-19T20:31:28Z")
Trump has the burden of proof (under US law): He has to show that what they wrote was false, and that it damaged his reputation. In fact, since he’s a public figure, he needs to prove “actual malice” (that they knew it was false, or didn’t care whether it was true or false). Sounds like an easy defense if they did any due diligence at all (there’s also the doctrine that if details are wrong but the basic idea is right, they are still okay (in this case, if (for example) the book was a Christmas present and not a birthday present, the WSJ is fine). (All this is ignoring another defense - that of “opinion” because whatever else they did, the WSJ did make a statement of fact). > [@To what extent do people have to prove something to be true, to not be guilty of slander/libel?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-do-people-have-to-prove-something-to-be-true-to-not-be-guilty-of-slander-libel/918600/3): > > (not a lawyer) This depends on factors not mentioned in the OP. Basically, to win, John has to show that Sally made a statement of fact (not an opinion - “Seems to me he’s acting like an embezzler”), that implies not disclosed facts (If Sally says “I’ve see the company’s books; John’s an embezzler” she’s in a lot worse trouble than if she says “Based on what the papers say, John’s an embezzler”), which is not true (if Sally has a copy of the company’s books, and they show fishy numbers, she may… --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-3/1013175)._