WASHINGTON, July 1, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump on Monday dropped a lawsuit over an Iowa poll that wrongly forecast he would lose the midwestern state in November's election.

A lawyer for Trump informed a federal court in Iowa that the president was no longer pursuing the case against renowned pollster Ann Selzer, the Des Moines Register, her former employer, and the newspaper's parent company, Gannett.

No reason was given for the move.

The unusual lawsuit stemmed from a poll published just days before the 2024 general election that showed Trump trailing Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris by three points in Iowa, where the Republican had scored easy victories in 2016 and 2020.

Trump went on to win Iowa by 13 points, dealing a blow to Selzer's reputation.

In his lawsuit, Trump accused Selzer and her co-defendants of "brazen election interference" and called the poll of likely voters "a piece of political theater" and "work of fantasy."

The Iowa lawsuit had been criticized by a number of press rights groups as an attack on the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of the press.

The suit was filed just days after ABC News settled claims by Trump of defamation, in which the outlet agreed to pay $15 million to a future presidential museum and foundation, and an additional $1 million for Trump's legal fees.

ABC News faced criticism over settling the case, which revolved around language used while reporting sexual assault allegations against Trump, with several legal scholars arguing the outlet would have likely prevailed in court.

Trump has made attacks on the media a hallmark of his political identity since his rise to power, describing the press as "corrupt" and the "enemy of the people."