Trump Threatens ABC Over Coverage of Qatar Jet: I’m Warning These ‘Sleazebags’
President Donald Trump is threatening ABC News over its coverage of the $400 million plane gifted to the Defense Department by the royal family of Qatar.
In a post to Truth Social late Saturday, the President boasted the recent settlement agreement his legal team struck with ABC News following a segment in which George Stephanopoulos said Trump was found “liable for rape.” (ABC News apologized for the statement and agreed to pay the Trump presidential library $15 million.)
“Why doesn’t Chairman Bob Iger do something about ABC Fake News, especially since I just won $16,000,000 based on the Fake and Defamatory reporting of Liddle’ George Slopadopolus,” Trump wrote. “He was given warnings, but just couldn’t be restrained by ‘management.’ Now I see they are at it again, and I again give these SleazeBags fair warning!
“The wonderful country of Qatar, after agreeing to invest more than 1.4 Trillion Dollars in the United States of America, deserves much better than Misleading (Fake!) News. Everyone, including their lawyers, has been told that ABC must not say that Qatar is giving ME a FREE Boeing 747 Airplane, because they are not. Instead, and as Fake News ABC fully knows and understands, this highly respected country is donating the plane to the United States Air Force/ Defense Department, AND NOT TO ME. By so doing, they are saving our country, and the American Taxpayer, hundreds of millions of dollars. ABC Fake News is one of the WORST.”
Trump claims the network has falsely reported that the plane has been given to him personally.
“The wonderful country of Qatar, after agreeing to invest more than 1.4 Trillion Dollars in the United States of America, deserves much better than Misleading (Fake!) News,” Trump wrote. “Everyone, including their lawyers, has been told that ABC must not say that Qatar is giving ME a FREE Boeing 747 Airplane, because they are not. Instead, and as Fake News ABC fully knows and understands, this highly respected country is donating the plane to the United States Air Force/ Defense Department, AND NOT TO ME. By so doing, they are saving our country, and the American Taxpayer, hundreds of millions of dollars. ABC Fake News is one of the WORST.”
Trump did not specifically point to any coverage that has stated the plane was being given to him personally. ABC’s Jon Karl and Katherine Faulders originally broke the story on May 11. Its language in that report reflected that the plane was being gifted to the Defense Department.
On May 12 in the White House, ABC’s Rachel Scott asked the president, “What do you say to people who view that luxury jet as a personal gift to you?” Scott asked.
“You should be embarrassed asking that question,” Trump replied.
Trump’s lawyers are in talks on a potential settlement in another case against CBS News over what the president alleges was a deceptively edited interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. While Democratic senators are all-but-begging parent company Paramount not to settle, Paramount boss Shari Redstone is widely believed to be pursuing a settlement because she’s seeking the Trump administration’s approval on a potential sale of Paramount to Skydance Media.
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