ABC News and its host, George Stephanopoulos, have reached a settlement with President-elect Donald Trump over his defamation lawsuit against them. The network has agreed to pay $15 million and issue a formal apology for inaccurate reporting. As per the settlement filed publicly on Saturday, ABC News will contribute $15 million as a charitable donation to a “presidential foundation and museum” that will be established by or for Trump. Additionally, they are required to cover an extra $1 million in legal fees for the president-elect.
The lawsuit was initiated by Trump in Florida federal court earlier this year. He claimed that Stephanopoulos and ABC News defamed him during an interview with U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC). During this March interview, Stephanopoulos repeated the false claim that a jury found Trump guilty of “rape” in the E. Jean Carroll case.
🚨 #BREAKING: ABC agrees to pay President Trump $15 MILLION after defaming him
BIG WIN! 🔥
George Stephanopolous falsely stated that President Trump “r*ped” E Jean Carroll
The settlement comes with an “apology” from ABC News as well:
“ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret… pic.twitter.com/KYzQiSPg1Z
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) December 14, 2024
E. Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her in a department store during the 1990s and claimed he defamed her when denying these allegations. Despite no witnesses or clear timeline, Trump’s liability was determined by a New York jury, resulting in more than $80 million in damages awarded to Carroll. However, it’s important to note that while he was found liable for defamation, the jury did not conclude that Carroll proved rape had occurred.
It doesn't get any better than this.
President Trump just forced ABC News and George Stephanopoulos to pay up!
The fake news media has been put on notice. pic.twitter.com/fZkIlN9nf1
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) December 15, 2024
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing and plans to appeal the decision. A judge later dismissed Trump’s countersuit against Carroll but noted that it was “substantially true” to say she accused him of rape.
In his lawsuit against ABC News filed in March, Trump argued that Stephanopoulos’ statements were “false, intentional, malicious and designed to cause harm.” The case progressed after a judge refused ABC’s motion to dismiss it in July. The judge remarked that the central issue would be whether it is substantially true to claim a jury found Trump liable for rape despite their verdict explicitly stating otherwise.
This story continues to develop as more details emerge about the implications of this settlement between ABC News and President-elect Donald Trump.