A US judge on Friday struck down Donald Trump’s $15bn lawsuit against the New York Times newspaper and some of its individual journalists. The court said such a complaint is not a public forum “for vituperation and invective” or a protected platform “to rage against an adversary”. One of the cardinal responsibilities of the media in our democracy is to report on a president — and criticize him when needed. Trump didn't file these lawsuits to win in court. He wantst wins in the court of public opinion. These lawsuits are part of his performative presidency.