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Donald Trump Praises Disney, Then Threatens Another Lawsuit

Left: Donald Trump at a podium. Right: Bob Iger in front of the Disney+ logo. Disney recently defended its DEI practices.
Credit: Gage Skidmore, Flickr; Disney

It’s no secret that in the years since Donald Trump became one of the most notable and controversial names in politics, he has had a very contentious relationship with the media. He frequently calls out the “fake news media” whenever they say something that he doesn’t like, and has even yelled at reporters during live news conferences.

One of the networks that Mr. Trump seems to take the most issue with is ABC News. In the past, Trump has called out Disney (which owns ABC), ABC News as a whole, and individual award-winning reporters. He even demanded that Bob Iger fire everyone at the network.

David Muir ABC

Credit: ABC/ Ida Mae Astute, Flickr

Related: “Lousy” ABC Accused of Discriminating Against Donald Trump

However, Donald Trump’s disdain for ABC has gone far beyond the television screens and entered the legal arena. It was a move that ended up costing Disney and ABC $16 million.

Back in March 2024, ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos interviewed Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina. During the interview, Mr. Stephanopoulos said that Mr. Trump had been “found liable for rape” against journalist E. Jean Carroll. Mr. Trump sued Disney and ABC for defamation, as a jury found him liable for “sexual abuse”.

In a stunning last-minute decision, Bob Iger decided to settle with Mr. Trump, with Disney and ABC agreeing to pay $15 million towards a special fund for Trump’s Presidential Library and paying $1 million in legal fees.

George Stephanopoulos and Donald Trump

Credit: Video Screenshot, ‘ABC Special’, ABC

Related: Days After Massive Trump Settlement, Disney Inks New Deal With Controversial Anchor

With Trump being so open about his dislike of ABC, it was surprising when he actually took the time to praise Disney — specifically, its announcement of a new theme park in Abu Dhabi.

When speaking with reporters, Trump said that Bob Iger had spoken to him about the new theme park before Disney made the official announcement. He said that he had seen the plans and that the new theme park was going to be “incredible.”

However, that tentative truce between the two sides was short-lived, as Mr. Trump quickly threatened ABC with another lawsuit when he was asked a question that he did not like.

Concept art for Disney Abu Dhabi

Credit: Disney

Related: After Meeting With Trump, Bob Iger Tells Marvel To Get Politics Out of Its Movies

In mid-May, it was announced that the royal family of Qatar had offered to gift Mr. Trump a $400 million plane to replace Air Force One. Mr. Trump had frequently said that he was in search of a new plane to replace Air Force One, which is more than 30 years old. ABC News reported that Mr. Trump would use the gifted plane during his presidency, and the plane would then be transferred to the Presidential Library fund.

Mr. Trump did not take kindly to ABC’s reports that the new plane was being given to him. He took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to say that his team had reached out to ABC’s lawyers about the issue.

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. 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

Despite the controversy surrounding the new plane, the Pentagon confirmed that the United States has accepted the plane and will use it as the new Air Force One. Work still needs to be done on the plane before it is ready to use, and there are still legal obstacles that need to be overcome before everything can be made official.

Disney has not commented on Mr. Trump’s Truth Social post, but it appears that Bob Iger is walking on eggshells when it comes to his tenuous relationship with the President.

Multiple outlets reported that, after meeting with Trump, Mr. Iger and ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic told the women of The View to tone down their rhetoric when talking about Mr. Trump. They also suggested that the show should not talk politics so much. However, the cohosts fought back and said that they will continue to do the show the way they always have.

Do you think it sets a bad precedent if Mr. Trump is allowed to keep suing various news networks when they say things that he does not like? Have his actions started a cooling effect in the media that is preventing them from reporting the full story? Share your thoughts with us on Trump and the media in the comments below. 

About Krysten Swensen

A born and bred New England girl living the Disney life in Southern California. I love to read, to watch The Golden Girls, and love everything to do with Disney and Universal. I also love to share daily doses of Disney on my Disney Instagram @BrazzleDazzleDisney!

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