Oh, the irony is rich, isn’t it? Tommy Vietor and his Pod Save America crew are wringing their hands over Disney’s decision to settle a defamation lawsuit with Donald Trump as if this $15 million payout is some apocalyptic event for journalism and corporate America. Let’s unpack this melodrama because the layers of hypocrisy and selective outrage here are worth savoring.
First, Disney settling with Trump over George Stephanopoulos’ “liable for rape” comment isn’t some grand surrender to authoritarianism, no matter how hard Vietor tries to spin it. It’s a legal and financial calculation—pure and simple. Stephanopoulos made a statement that strayed too far from the actual court ruling, which found Trump liable for sexual abuse, not rape under the narrow legal definition. You’d think a seasoned journalist like Stephanopoulos would know better than to twist legal findings on national television, but here we are.
And let’s not pretend Stephanopoulos’ record is squeaky clean. This is the same guy who “forgot” to disclose $75,000 in donations to the Clinton Foundation while conducting interviews about its controversies. If you’re going to hold yourself up as the arbiter of truth, maybe don’t blur ethical lines that badly. Yet now we’re supposed to believe he’s the victim here? Give me a break.
Disney’s decision to settle President-elect Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against ABC News has set off an internal backlash https://t.co/3wtZeM6XIM
— WSJ Business News (@WSJbusiness) December 18, 2024
Vietor and Jon Lovett’s real gripe isn’t the settlement—it’s the fact that Trump scored a win. That $15 million, conveniently labeled a “charitable contribution” to Trump’s presidential foundation and museum, stings because it challenges the Left’s narrative that Trump can never come out on top. Vietor calls it “chilling,” but what’s truly chilling is the Left’s refusal to admit that sometimes, just sometimes, Trump is right to fight back against the media’s distortions.
And let’s talk about the pearl-clutching over corporations “bowing down” to Trump. Vietor trots out a greatest-hits list of tech and media CEOs—Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, Ted Sarandos—who’ve had the audacity to interact with the former president. Apparently, having a conversation or making a business decision in Trump’s direction is now tantamount to treason in the Left’s moral universe. The idea that a company like Disney might want to avoid a protracted legal battle and negative headlines is treated as a sign of cultural collapse.
Disney executives worried that an ongoing legal battle with President-elect Trump could damage protections for the press and hurt the brand. Here’s how the company decided to settle Trump’s lawsuit against ABC News. https://t.co/TnqrBkmsp1
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 18, 2024
Here’s the kicker: The Left has no problem when corporations bow to their demands. When tech giants censor conservatives or when companies embrace progressive causes, it’s celebrated as “standing on the right side of history.” But when those same companies make pragmatic decisions that happen to favor Trump, suddenly, it’s a crisis of democracy.
What’s really happening here is that Vietor and company are terrified. They’re watching Trump win battles they thought were unwinnable, and they don’t know how to handle it. A $15 million settlement isn’t just a payout—it’s a signal to other media outlets that they can’t smear Trump or anyone else without consequences. That’s what’s “chilling” to Vietor and his ilk: the idea that accountability might cut both ways.
Ultimately, this isn’t about defamation law, corporate ethics, or journalistic integrity. It’s about control. The Left has enjoyed a media landscape where they set the rules, and everyone else plays along. Trump’s win disrupts that dynamic, and it terrifies them. But guess what? Accountability is long overdue, and if this settlement makes other outlets think twice before twisting the truth, that’s a win for everyone.
