For years, ABC News has been a trusted source for millions across America, delivering the news with anchors like Peter Jennings, Diane Sawyer, and David Muir leading the way. Yet, as the nation has grown increasingly polarized, the faith in mainstream news outlets, including ABC, has faced growing challenges.
Despite this shifting landscape, Good Morning America remains a dominant morning news program, featuring personalities such as Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan, Lara Spencer, and George Stephanopoulos.
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But even trusted anchors find themselves caught in the crossfire of controversy. In a March 2024 interview, George Stephanopoulos spoke with South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace. During their exchange, Stephanopoulos mistakenly said that former President Donald Trump had been found “liable for rape” by a jury. In reality, the jury had ruled him liable for sexual abuse — a legally distinct verdict that carries important implications depending on the state’s laws.
This error sparked a swift and fierce reaction from Trump, who filed a defamation lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company and ABC News. While many legal analysts predicted that ABC’s case was solid and that the network could successfully defend itself, the unexpected happened.
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Disney CEO Bob Iger decided to settle the case out of court, paying $15 million toward Trump’s Presidential fund and another $1 million for legal expenses. The $15 million is anticipated to support the development of Trump’s Presidential Library.
Despite the lawsuit’s settlement, ABC showed its continued support for Stephanopoulos by renewing his contract. The anchor reportedly was taken aback by the decision to settle, but he signed on with the network again. Details about his contract extension, including its length and financial terms, have not been made public.
Stephanopoulos seems undeterred by the controversy and is back on air, increasingly vocal in his criticism of Donald Trump and his administration’s dealings.
On his show, This Week With George Stephanopoulos, he shed light on what he described as an astonishing level of financial gain by Trump and his family tied directly to political influence.
The scale is staggering. Donald Trump and his family are making hundreds of millions, potentially billions of dollars, as Trump and his administration are taking official actions that benefit contributors and investors. Just this week, we learned of pardons to tax cheats, including a man whose mother was pardoned just weeks after she attended a million-dollar-a-head fundraiser for the president, the Trump media and technology group, raising $2.5 billion dollars from 50 institutional investors whose identities have not been disclosed.
Stephanopoulos also pointed to how certain lawsuits and investigations have seemingly been dropped once companies gave favors to Trump or his allies. One example he cited was the SEC’s lawsuit against cryptocurrency exchange Binance, which was dropped days after Binance began selling currency from World Liberty Financial — a company started by the Trump family.
Quoting political commentator David Frum, Stephanopoulos remarked:
‘Nothing like this has been attempted or even imagined in the history of the American presidency,’ he writes. ‘Throw away the history books, discard feeble comparisons to scandals of the past … The brazenness resembles nothing seen in any earlier White House. This is American corruption on the scale of a post-Soviet republic or a post-colonial African dictatorship.’ That’s where we begin this week.
George Stephanopoulos opened @ThisWeekABC in high-dungeon over presidential corruption: “This unprecedented money making by a sitting President and his family summarized by critics like @TheAtlantic’s David Frum: ‘Nothing like this has been attempted or even imagined in the… pic.twitter.com/XAkW8xGyA7
— Brent Baker 🇺🇲🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@BrentHBaker) June 1, 2025
As of now, Trump has not publicly responded to Stephanopoulos’ recent allegations. Given their ongoing history of mutual hostility, it would not be surprising if Trump addresses this on his own social media channels soon. Trump is well known for challenging the legitimacy of the media and frequently filing lawsuits against news organizations that report unfavorably on him.
This entire episode highlights the delicate balance news organizations face when covering controversial figures — balancing journalistic responsibility with legal risks and business considerations. Despite the legal settlement, George Stephanopoulos continues to press forward, unafraid to call out what he sees as corruption at the highest levels.
What do you think? Should the media persist in exposing questionable or potentially unlawful behavior from political leaders? Is it more important than ever that journalists hold public officials accountable, especially amid growing political division? We want to hear your perspective. Join the conversation by sharing your thoughts in the comments below.
Yes, continue pointing out gross behaviors of the Trumps.
Of course, let’s not detract from the crime syndicates of the Clinton and, notably, the Biden family.
Or any politician with their favorite lobbiest.
If Snufflopopoulos is a journalist, why does he hate women so much?
The “interview with Mace was disgusting.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day but the main stream media is always wrong. They are just unethical