The $15 million settlement struck between ABC News, George Stephanopoulos, and Donald Trump drew strong reactions Saturday. The decision "feels like one more mainstream news organization bending the knee," NPR TV critic Eric Deggans said on X, formerly Twitter.
News of the settlement came a day after Trump was ordered to sit for a four-hour deposition in the case. Stephanopoulos and the news network will pay a $15 donation to a future presidential library or similar foundation, will publicly apologize to Trump, and will pay $1 million of Trump's legal fees.
Journalist Paul Farhi called the settlement "An awful precedent and a huge sellout." That sentiment was echoed by Keith Olbermann, who wrote on X, "What a great look @abc News."
"This is both confusing and disheartening. #Disney and #ABC caving to Trump," added Sharon Waxman, editor in chief of TheWrap.
CNN's media analyst Brian Stelter brought up one glaring question: "Why did ABC agree to pay and apologize? The network won't say. It could have kept fighting in court, but decided to pay $$ to end the dispute and make the case go away." In parenthesis, he added, "A common move, but with an unusual plaintiff, the president-elect."
Stelter also shared a post from lawyer Marc E. Elias, who commented, "Knee bent. Ring kissed. Another legacy news outlet chooses obedience."
Defending Democracy Together's Bill Kristol warned, "ABC's settlement with Trump feels like it could be an inflection point in the Orbanization of our politics. I hope it isn't." The reference is to Hungary strongman Viktor Orban, who consolidated that country's reins of power upon election.
The statement from ABC News read:
"ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC's This Week on March 10, 2024," Stephanopoulos and ABC News said in a statement after the settlement was announced.
Trump filed his lawsuit against ABC News and Stephanopoulos in March. The federal suit followed a heated discussion with Congresswoman Nancy Mace in which Stephanopoulos questioned Mace, an outspoken survivor of rape, about her endorsement of Trump.
"You've endorsed Donald Trump for president," Stephanopoulos told Mace. "Donald Trump has been found liable for rape by a jury. Donald Trump has been found liable for defaming the victim of that rape by a jury. It's been affirmed by a judge -- " he continued before Mace interjected, "It was not a criminal court case, number one."
"Number two, I live with shame. And you're asking me a question about my political choices, trying to shame me as a rape victim -- I find it disgusting, and quite frankly, E. Jean Carroll's comments when she did get the judgment joking about what she was going to buy, it doesn't... it makes it harder for women to come forward when they make a mockery out of rape," Mace also said.
Mace continued in that vein and concluded, "I had to tell my story, because no other woman was coming towards me, no rape victims were represented, and you're trying to shame me this morning. I'm just -- I find it offensive and this is why women won't come forward."
The pair's back and forth was about author E. Jean Carroll's own lawsuit against Trump. Carroll accused Trump of rape, and a Manhattan jury found Trump liable for sexual battery and defamation. Judge Lewis Kaplan later clarified the ruling came down to New York's limited legal definition of "rape" and said that it did not mean Carroll "failed to prove that Mr. Trump 'raped' her as many people commonly understand the word 'rape.'"