Can Trump change the nation’s libel laws? Common questions answered

[Commentary] Recently, President Donald Trump delivered an unexpected outburst about changing the nation’s libel laws. He said, "Our current libel laws are a sham and a disgrace, and do not represent American values or American fairness. So we’re going to take a strong look at that. We want fairness. You can’t say things that are false, knowingly false, and be able to smile as money pours into your bank account … I think what the American people want to see is fairness." 

President Trump doesn’t seem to know, here, that libel laws are a state issue, and that he, as the head of the federal executive branch, doesn’t have much say in the matter. The federal government is involved only to the extent that the Supreme Court has laid down guidelines putting limits on state laws when they do not pass constitutional muster.  So there’s nothing Trump can do about libel? Well, there’s one thing. President Trump libels people more than most. Trump could improve the libel climate in the country simply by libeling others less frequently.

[Bill Wyman is the former arts editor of NPR and Salon.com.]