Trump uses his widely panned $475 million CNN lawsuit as a ploy to beg followers for money

Former President Donald Trump on Monday announced he was suing CNN for a whopping $475 million for purportedly airing "fake news" about him in a civil suit that legal experts widely dismissed as a publicity stunt.

But as Bloomberg News reports, skepticism from the legal community about the lawsuit's chances of success hasn't stopped the former president from using it to raise money from his followers.

In a fundraising email sent to his supporters, Trump framed his lawsuit against the cable news network as something he was doing on their behalf.

“I am SUING the Corrupt News Network (CNN) for DEFAMING and SLANDERING my name,” he wrote. “Remember, when they come after ME, they are really coming after YOU.”

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Trump's lawsuit against CNN was loaded with bombastic language similar to that found in the fundraising email.

"Beyond simply highlighting any negative information about the Plaintiff and ignoring all positive information about him, CNN has sought to use its massive influence -- purportedly as a 'trusted' news source -- to defame the Plaintiff in the minds of its viewers," read the suit, which went on to accuse CNN of giving him "defamatory labels of 'racist,' 'Russian lackey,' 'insurrectionist,' and ultimately 'Hitler.'"