Trump’s $16 Million Settlement with ABC Fails to Hold George Stephanopoulos Accountable for Clear Defamation

Let’s be clear: President-elect Donald Trump received a favorable outcome from ABC; they only need to contribute $15 million to his future presidential library, along with $1 million for his legal fees, to resolve a defamation lawsuit they were likely to lose — thereby sidestepping legal discovery that could have tarnished their reputation further.

The defamation stems from comments made by George Stephanopoulos on March 10 during the Sunday program “This Week,” where he repeatedly claimed Trump had been “found liable for rape.”

He was referencing one of the initial “lawfare” cases against Trump, E. Jean Carroll’s civil litigation asserting that Trump defamed her by denying her allegations of sexual assault from three decades prior.

With the support of a biased judge, Carroll managed to persuade the Manhattan jury that there was “a preponderance of evidence” indicating Trump had abused her — but the jurors made it clear that (even under the less stringent “preponderance” criterion) she had not established that rape occurred.

Additionally, her lighthearted musings on spending her defamation award did not resonate with many viewers as typical behavior for a rape victim, even decades after the incident in question.

The judge, Lewis Kaplan, later elaborated that Carroll hadn’t definitively proven rape according to dictionary.com, but rather as outlined by New York law — a strategic move to enhance the ruling’s utility for anti-Trump political agendas.

This left Stephanopoulos (or whoever prepares his scripts) with no factual foundation for his numerous, exaggerated assertions regarding Trump’s alleged “liability for rape.”

Interestingly, the ABC host was a career Democratic operative before transitioning into “journalism.”

While public figures do have some protections against such defamatory remarks, had the case proceeded, Trump’s legal team would have been able to delve into ABC News’ internal communications to demonstrate the network’s disregard for the truth.

Ultimately, Trump displayed significant generosity by not demanding ABC pay him directly, although the settlement positions the company as a substantial contributor to the Trump library.

As expected, the usual critics will lament the settlement as a troubling indication of the media acquiescing to the “vindictive” incoming president.

This is misguided: Corporations such as ABC and its parent company, Disney, typically do not agree to such settlements unless they believe they are avoiding far graver consequences if the case were to proceed.

The settlement was reached just as Stephanopoulos was set to be deposed, which would have revealed the true nature of his “journalism.”

Instead of being vindictive, Trump has maintained composure in the face of persistent provocations from network “news” personalities.

Notably, he remained composed despite incessant criticism from NBC’s Kristen Welker this month, successfully conveying his message over her interruptions.

This approach serves the president-elect well, demonstrating that he is firmly focused on the responsibilities ahead — and on truly addressing grievances with his adversaries by delivering positive outcomes for the American people.