After waking up with great anticipation about seeing opening statements in the case between Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News, I’m a little disappointed that Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric M. Davis delayed the trial until Tuesday. Judge Davis provided no explanation other than to say that delays are routine in his experience. So it goes.

The twice-impeached, disgraced ex-president Donald Trump seems to have had the trial on his mind late last night, as he was posting about it into the wee hours. At 2:39 in the morning he wrote on his Truth Social network:

IF FOX WOULD FINALLY ADMIT THAT THERE WAS LARGE SCALE CHEATING & IRREGULARITIES IN THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, WHICH WOULD BE A GOOD THING FOR THEM, & FOR AMERICA, THE CASE AGAINST THEM, WHICH SHOULD NOT HAVE EXISTED AT ALL, WOULD BE GREATLY WEAKENED. BACK UP THOSE PATRIOTS AT FOX INSTEAD OF THROWING THEM UNDER THE BUS – & THEY ARE RIGHT! THERE IS SOOO MUCH PROOF, LIKE MASS BALLOT STUFFING CAUGHT ON GOVERNMENT CAMERAS, FBI COLLUDING WITH TWITTER & FACEBOOK, STATE LEGISLATURES NOT USED, etc.

He followed that up mid-morning with another ALL-CAPS blast addressed to Rupert Murdoch:

“FOX NEWS IS IN BIG TROUBLE IF THEY DO NOT EXPOSE THE TRUTH ON CHEATING IN THE 2020 ELECTION. THEY SHOULD DO WHAT’S RIGHT FOR AMERICA. WHEN RUPERT MURDOCH SAYS THAT THERE WAS NO CHEATING IN LIGHT OF THE MASSIVE PROOF THAT WAS THERE, IT IS RIDICULOUS AND VERY HARMFUL TO THE FOX CASE,” argued Trump, before addressing Murdoch directly. “RUPERT, JUST TELL THE TRUTH AND GOOD THINGS WILL HAPPEN. THE ELECTION OF 2020 WAS RIGGED AND STOLLEN…YOU KNOW IT, & SO DOES EVERYONE ELSE!”

Trump probably doesn’t realize that his 2020 election lies are so risible that the Judge earlier ruled Fox News cannot even defend airing them by claiming they were newsworthy.  In other words, while you might think it’s legitimate to report what the president of the United States is saying, you can’t treat defamatory bullshit as if it might be true if  you’re completely clear that it is not. The idea that Trump’s claims might be proven true isn’t even contemplated because it’s beyond the scope of reality. The people at Fox knew Trump was lying and they repeated his lies anyway. That’s why they’re in trouble.

This is obviously a threat to Trump on pretty much every level. It hurts him in court. It’s hurts him politically. It hurts his legacy. It hurts his feelings. And, if his base begins to internalize the actual truth of the matter, it will hurt Trump with his supporters. That will hurt him financially.

That’s why we’re seeing these panicked and delusional social media posts. Obviously, this case is specific to matters pertaining to Dominion Voting Systems, so most of Trump’s list of conspiracies aren’t even relevant in theory. But no one sane thinks the best way to defend against defamation charges is to continue defaming the plaintiff in court. Rupert Murdoch has already admitted that his network erred in repeating Trump’s lies, and that’s no even a matter of dispute at trial. The question is only whether they should be held to account for it.

When they are, it will put a big dent in The Big Lie.