Trump sues Twitter, Facebook, Google and CEOs Dorsey, Zuckerberg, Pichai - CNBC

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Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is suing Facebook, Twitter and Google, as well as their respective CEOs Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and Sundar Pichai.

Trump, who has a history of threatening legal action but not always following through, made the announcement at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, alongside two leaders from America First Policy Institute, the pro-Trump nonprofit group that is supporting the lawsuits.

Shortly after the press conference wrapped, Trump's political entities started sending out fundraising messages that touted the lawsuits in their appeals for money.

One such text message, written in Trump's voice, includes a link to his joint fundraising committee Save America, which also raises money for other Republican political initiatives.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., Wednesday, July 7, 2021.

Seth Wenig | AP

The three related lawsuits, filed in federal court in Florida, allege the tech giants have violated plaintiffs' First Amendments rights.

The lawsuits were unveiled just over a month after Facebook decided to uphold Trump's ban from using the platform until at least January 2023. Twitter, Trump's preferred social media outlet throughout his one term in office, permanently banned him on the heels of the Jan. 6 invasion of the Capitol by a mob of his supporters.

The lawsuit against Pichai also names as a defendant Youtube, the video-sharing website bought by Google in 2006. Youtube indefinitely banned Trump in January.

The suits want the court to order the media companies to let Trump back on their platforms. They also want the court to declare that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a piece of legislation that stops tech companies from being held liable for what users post on their platforms, is unconstitutional.

As president, Trump railed against Section 230 and repeatedly called for its repeal. He even tied the issue to a crucial round of stimulus checks at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the passage of an annual defense spending bill.

"We're not looking to settle," Trump told reporters when asked about the lawsuits. "We don't know what's going to happen but we're not looking to settle," he said.