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In an unexpected legal victory for Donald Trump, ABC News has agreed to contribute $15 million to the future foundation and museum of the president-elect. This settlement wraps up a defamation lawsuit tied to comments made by lead anchor George Stephanopoulos, marking a unique moment where a prominent media figure faced courtroom defeat.
A part of this agreement requires ABC to include an editor’s note on a March article online, acknowledging regret for Stephanopoulos’s interview with Nancy Mace, a South Carolina representative in the US House. The statement reads, “ABC News and George Stephanopoulos express regret over statements made about President Donald J Trump during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024.” This confession comes from a network under the umbrella of Walt Disney Co.
Additionally, ABC will cover $1 million in legal costs for Trump. Alejandro Brito, Trump’s lawyer for the case, remarked that the president is satisfied with both the financial payment and the public statement from ABC News and Stephanopoulos.
Trump’s lawsuit, initiated in Miami’s federal court in March, accused Stephanopoulos of slander during a broadcast where the anchor incorrectly stated that Trump had been found “liable for rape” while speaking with Mace. The congresswoman has openly shared her own experience with sexual assault as a teenager, prompting Stephanopoulos to question how she could support Trump given her history.
While a New York jury did find Trump accountable for sexual abuse—not rape—and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll, leading to an order for him to pay more than $88 million across two verdicts, he is currently appealing these decisions.
The settlement between ABC News and Trump, revealed on Saturday, was officially penned on December 13. In a statement, an ABC spokesperson expressed satisfaction with the lawsuit’s resolution. However, Stephanopoulos has yet to offer any public reaction.
Brushing aside requests for comments, Trump’s attorneys and representatives from his transition team have not immediately responded either.
Famous for his harsh critiques of the “mainstream media,” accusing them of propagating “fake news,” Trump continues to battle various outlets. He currently has civil suits against CBS News, journalist Bob Woodward, and publisher Simon & Schuster, along with an appeal in a dismissed case against CNN. However, a prior defamation lawsuit against The New York Times did not go in his favor.
