Well, well, well—looks like George Stephanopoulos and ABC News just learned the hard way that slandering Donald Trump isn’t as consequence-free as they’d hoped. After peddling false claims about the incoming president during a live broadcast, they’ve been forced to cough up $15 million, cover a cool $1 million in attorney’s fees, and slap a public apology on their platform. That’s not just a slap on the wrist—it’s a full-on reckoning for a mainstream media that’s grown far too comfortable weaponizing misinformation against conservatives.
This debacle began back in March when Stephanopoulos, in an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), claimed not once but repeatedly that Trump had been found “liable for rape” by two separate juries. Let’s be clear: this was flat-out wrong. A jury determined Trump was liable for “sexual abuse” in the civil case brought by E. Jean Carroll, which is a distinctly different legal term under New York law. But instead of doing his homework, Stephanopoulos steamrolled the facts, broadcasting his hyperbole to millions of viewers.
JUST IN: ABC News forced to pay $15 million to Trump to settle defamation lawsuit, George Stephanopoulos forced to issue public apology.
The development stems from a March incident where Stephanopoulos claimed Trump was found “liable for r*pe.”
Now, ABC News has to pay $15… pic.twitter.com/jsRuetccuv
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 14, 2024
Trump, unsurprisingly, didn’t take this lying down. He filed a defamation lawsuit, rightly pointing out that his reputation had been “besmirched” by Stephanopoulos’s reckless remarks. And here we are—ABC News not only had to settle but was also forced to issue a groveling statement of regret. For a network that routinely portrays itself as the gold standard of journalism, this is a pretty embarrassing look.
What makes this settlement even sweeter is the $15 million that will now go toward Trump’s future presidential library. Imagine that—a library funded in part by a media outlet that spent years tearing him down. You couldn’t write a more ironic ending. And let’s not forget the editors’ note ABC had to slap onto their original article: “ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump.” Short and sniveling—exactly what you’d expect from a network that probably still thinks it can spin this as some sort of principled correction.
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
This isn’t just a victory for Trump—it’s a win for anyone tired of the mainstream media’s unchecked bias. For years, outlets like ABC have enjoyed near-immunity, using their platforms to push falsehoods and character assassinations against Republicans while hiding behind the “public figure” defamation shield crafted by the Supreme Court in 1964. As Breitbart’s Ken Klukowski pointed out, this settlement highlights just how egregious Stephanopoulos’s lies were and should serve as a wake-up call to conservatives everywhere: don’t let them get away with it.
Megyn Kelly tearing George Stephanopoulos to shreds. Today it’s costing ABC 15 Million and he has to apologize.
pic.twitter.com/UPCkogLC9I— Big Fish (@BigFish3000) December 14, 2024
The fact that ABC described the settlement as a resolution they’re “pleased” with is laughable. Sure, they’re pleased—they’re pleased to avoid a courtroom spectacle that would’ve dragged their credibility even deeper into the gutter. And let’s not ignore the broader implications here. If a network as powerful as ABC can be held accountable for its lies, perhaps it’s time for the rest of the media to tread a little more carefully. Maybe, just maybe, they’ll think twice before weaponizing half-truths in service of their political agendas.
Ultimately, this isn’t just about the money or the apology—it’s about accountability. Trump has shown, once again, that he’s not afraid to fight back against the media’s relentless attacks. And for conservatives, this should be a moment of inspiration: hold the line, demand the truth, and don’t let the legacy media get away with their double standards. If $15 million and an apology are what it takes to start leveling the playing field, then so be it.
