What’s happening: President Donald Trump has racked up major legal victories against corporate media giants ABC and CBS, along with social media conglomerate Meta (formerly Facebook), holding them accountable for defamation and election interference.
ABC lawsuit: ABC News was forced to issue a correction and pay a massive $15 million settlement after falsely claiming that Trump was found liable for rape in the E. Jean Carroll civil trial. The false statement was made by anchor George Stephanopoulos in March, prompting Trump to sue for defamation. The $15 million will go toward Trump’s presidential library.
Meta lawsuit: Meta settled with Trump for $25 million over its decision to suspend his social media accounts following the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. The deal includes a $22 million donation to Trump’s future presidential library and $3 million in legal fees.
CBS lawsuit: Trump has a $10 billion lawsuit pending against CBS for allegedly doctoring a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris to make her appear more coherent.
Making them sweat: Reports indicate that top CBS executives, including controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, pushed for a settlement to avoid provoking the Trump administration, which has the power to block an upcoming merger Paramount has planned.
CNN lawsuit: CNN settled a defamation lawsuit, not with Trump, but with Navy veteran Zachary Young after a Florida jury found the network liable for falsely accusing him of running a black-market operation during the Afghanistan withdrawal. In reality, Young provided a valuable, risky, and legal service to help bring Afghans to safety.
Rushing to settle: The jury had already awarded Young $5 million in damages, but CNN rushed to settle before punitive damages could be added — which could have added many more millions.
Clear bias: Internal CNN messages revealed clear malice, with one correspondent vowing to “nail this Zachary Young mf—er” and editors admitting the story was “80% emotion, 20% observed fact” and “flawed.”
Why it matters: Meta’s and the corporate media’s recent court losses signal a shift in how Trump, and even regular citizens, are setting a new precedent for holding powerful institutions accountable for election interference, censorship, and dishonest reporting.
