A major win for ABC turned into a huge slap in the face for two of its top stars.
Although ABC will air an exclusive interview with President Donald Trump on Tuesday night, the network benched nightly news anchor David Muir and correspondent George Stephanopoulos, according to Page Six.
The report said the White House insisted that neither man interview Trump.
Instead, ABC senior national correspondent Terry Moran will interview Trump. The interview airs at 8 p.m. ET.
“It’s nuts that it’s not Muir. And giving it to someone that people have barely heard of? A primetime exclusive with the president?” Page Six quoted a TV source as saying.
President Trump’s First 100 Days were legendary. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/4NyadSm6kF
— LEAHmemes (@itsreallyleah) April 27, 2025
Page Six noted that Trump was livid at the “fact-checking” tactics of Muir and colleague Linsey Davis, who focused on critiquing Trump while giving former Vice President Kamala Harris an easy ride during the presidential debate last fall.
Will you watch Trump’s ABC interview?
Trump later said the debate was “one against three” and said Muir was “not legit,” “a real lightweight” and “fake news” — even suggesting that he should sue the anchor. He added that Muir’s “hair was better five years ago.”
Stephanopoulos had accused Trump of being convicted of rape in the E. Jean Carroll civil suit against Trump, which led to a lawsuit from Trump that ABC settled in December.
ABC agreed to pay out $15 million to Trump’s presidential library, according to the Associated Press.
The suit stemmed from a March 2024 interview by Stephanopoulos in which he asked Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina about supporting Trump after he was found “liable for rape” in a civil case brought by E. Jean Carroll, according to The Hill.
A ruling from U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush, scuttled ABC’s efforts to dismiss the suit.
The ruling said that “a reasonable jury could interpret Stephanopoulos’s statements as defamatory.”
Well said. President Trumps first 100 days has been a huge success. I voted for this. pic.twitter.com/luXU5YPoCM
— Sassafrass84 (@Sassafrass_84) April 28, 2025
“Stephanopoulos’s exchange with Mace lasted about ten minutes, during which Stephanopoulos stated ten times that a jury — or juries — had found Plaintiff liable for rape,” Altonaga wrote.
“In fact, of course, the Carroll II jury did not find Plaintiff liable for rape under New York Penal Law,” she wrote.
Altonaga said the “privilege does not protect media where the omission of important context renders a report misleading.”
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