Atlanta, Georgia - A US federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld a ruling that dismissed President Donald Trump's lawsuit against CNN over its description of his false claims about the 2020 election as the "Big Lie."

District Court Judge Raag Singhal, who was appointed by Trump during his first term in the White House, tossed out his $475 million suit against the network in July 2023.

The Republican had claimed that the use of the phrase the "Big Lie" by CNN associated him with tactics used by Adolf Hitler.

Singhal, in her ruling, said "the complained of statements are opinion, not factually false statements, and therefore are not actionable."

A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed.

"Trump has not adequately alleged the falsity of CNN's statements," the panel, which included two judges appointed by Trump, said. "Therefore, he has failed to state a defamation claim."

Trump, who returned to the White House in January after winning the November 2024 election, continues to lie about winning the 2020 vote against Joe Biden.

The Republican has repeatedly targeted major news organizations who report critically on him and his administration, aggressively filing lawsuits worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

He threatened last week to sue the BBC for up to $5 billion over an edit to the speech he delivered before his supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Trump was indicted for conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results, but the case was dropped after the November 2024 election under a Justice Department policy of not indicting or prosecuting a sitting president.