For years, Donald Trump has railed against the Fake News Media, rallying millions of loyal supporters – myself included – to his side with promises to expose their corruption and lies. The battle against media dishonesty became a cornerstone of his brand, a cause that many Americans rallied behind as they poured their trust—and millions of dollars—into his legal defense funds. Yet, in a stunning move that reeks of betrayal, Trump has chosen to settle a lawsuit with ABC News over their outright lies about him for a paltry $15 million donation to his future presidential library.
This wasn’t just any lawsuit. Trump had the rare opportunity to depose ABC’s top figures, including George Stephanopoulos, and gain access to their internal communications through discovery. For once, he had the tools to pull back the curtain on how the mainstream media manufactures narratives and undermines public trust. But instead of fighting to the end, he settled, handing ABC News a victory and squandering what could have been a landmark case in the fight against media defamation.
What makes this worse is the sheer triviality of the settlement amount—a fraction of Trump’s net worth and not even a blip on the radar of his supporters who have donated their hard-earned money to his legal battles. A $15 million contribution to a future nonprofit library? It’s a joke, and not even a funny one. Trump’s base didn’t support him to see him enrich his own vanity projects. We backed him to fight back against a system that is rigged against ordinary Americans.
Instead of taking this case to the Supreme Court and fighting to reform defamation laws, Trump sold out. Instead of standing firm and exposing the inner workings of the media elite, he chose an easy payout that barely amounts to a slap on the wrist for ABC. And now, in the ultimate irony, the man who decried fake news has gifted the media a way to claim vindication, while his loyal supporters are left stunned and disappointed.
For years, Trump demanded unwavering loyalty from his supporters. Now, with this settlement, he’s shown just how little he values ours. The people who stuck with him through thick and thin deserved better. They deserved a leader willing to see the fight through to the end—not one who cashes out at the first opportunity. This isn’t the Trump we believed in. This is a betrayal, plain and simple.
Signed,
Boruch R.
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19 Responses
It is rare for a public official to win a case of defamation against newspeople. They are paying up also an additional 1 million for his legal fees, and he has another one for a billion against CBS. If this improves their conduct in the future it is good.
Trump winning a defamation case is almost unprecedented. American law rigged to protect defamation of public figures. To win the case, he has to established that the publisher of the defamation was willfully lying (i.e. making it all up). Merely being mistaken or confused or a honest difference of opinion won’t do it. He has to show that ABC was deliberately lying. There have been virtually no successful defamation by celebrities or public figures since the law changed 60 years ago.
And Trump won’t anyways. The deck was stacked against him, and he won. For ABC it is a disaster – they were forced to admit that their “news” is just fantasy, fiction and left-wing dribble.
Trump triumphed.
I highly doubt that “Baruch R” stayed with Trump “through thick and thin”
Wouldn’t be surprised if “Baruch” is really a never Trumper of a plain old dumbocrat
Trump didn’t win a defamation suit. Trump didn’t triumph. NBC settled because it didn’t need the headache. The judge in the suit stated emphatically that Stephanopoulos did not misrepresented what Trump was found guilty of and Trump is guilty of acts of forced nevalah against Caroll. Trump would never have won in court. He took the best offer that we have ever gotten. If you are a big fan and supporter of a menuval own it and don’t make believe it never happened..
Most likely written by an anti-Trumper.
If Trump wanted to press ahead with his lawsuit, then he would probably eventually have to testify in court, with so the implications that could have. He’s not going to open himself up to that.
Besides, he’s talking the office of the POTUS in a few weeks. He’s hopefully going to have something better to do with his time.
The fact that George Steph had to admit and apologize is worth a lot more than 15 million dollars to Trump and his supporters.
If Trump wanted to press ahead with his lawsuit, then he would probably eventually have to testify in court, with all the implications that could have. He’s not going to open himself up to that.
Besides, he’s taking the office of the POTUS in a few weeks. He’s hopefully going to have something better to do with his time.
What an absolutely ridiculously lame article. You’re not a Trump supporter. You are a nevertrumper. If I can spot you from a hundred miles imagine real trump supporters. Shoin! He won the election. That’s it. Move on buddy. Next!
Do you even know what the lawsuit was about?
The actual definition that trump abused this women in NYC was different then the federal definition.
Everyone agreed trump abused this women, just the term stephanolous used went to far for NYC term.
Sickening to see jews think this is some kind of win for Trump, or the media was out to get him.
Sadly, the more the Frum world moved to the right the more many have forgotten (or never heard of) the word “Pragmatic”
“dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.”
Ok sir Mr Boruch R…. U and Mr antoli Shatnez should join up forces and go make some money
Ok sir Mr Boruch R…. U and Mr anti Shatnez should join up forces and go make some money
Besides the points made by the previous commentators how this is a win, he’s busy reforming a lot of stuff in government, doing exactly why we elected him. Not there’s any mitzvah of being Dan lechaf zchus, but logically, is his time worth it right now to fight this specific battle?
Sorry, Boruch,
Many of us who have opposed Trump and his actions/beliefs from the beginning have seen you and the MAGA crowd as having drunk the Kool-Aid. (Google Jonestown Guyana if your limited secular education leaves you in the dark).
He is a Charlatan who is skilled at fleecing his followers and not delivering on all that he blathers about.
This does not mean I liked his opponents and their beliefs, but that I was not taken in by him and his plan to enrich familycc bc and friends.
Relax, the sun will still rise every morning even though Trump’s experienced team of lawyers decided on a legal strategy that you disagree with.
You are making a mistake. The best way to defeat your enemy is to make him a friend. If media outlets lie the general public will punish them as happened to CNN. The people that Trump needs to go after are the TRUE criminals such as Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Merrick Garland, Anthony Fauci, and George Sorros!
As far as firing, let the media fire their people. CNN fired a bunch w/o Trump’s involvement. Trump needs to focus on firing military leaders and convincing Congress to get rid of obvious racists who are in office. He also, needs to change policy in Universities by withholding funds from Universities that promote dangerous policies (such as DEI and Antisemitism).
Crazykanoiy
Get it straight!
ABC settled the Trump suit, NBC not a party to this action
crazykanoiy: A new media doesn’t settle a defamation case to a public figure by giving up $15 million AND admitting they were broadcasting fake news. For eight years the MAGA Republicans have been accusing the mainstream (left wing, i.e. everyone of significance except Fox and WSJ) media of being the purveyor of fake news, and now one of the leading mainstream news sources has publicly admitted that its reporting is inherently unreliable.