WASHINGTON — ABC News will pay $15 million as part of a legal settlement with President-elect Donald Trump, donating the money to a “presidential foundation and museum” as it closes out a dispute where Trump claimed anchor George Stephanopoulos defamed him.
The money will be transferred to “a Presidential foundation and museum to be established by or for” Trump, according to the settlement terms.
The defendants, ABC, ABC News, and Stephanopoulos, will also pay $1 million to Trump’s counsel and add a note to an online article about the interview declaring that they “regret statements” about Trump, according to the settlement.
“We are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing,” said an ABC News spokesperson.
The complaint began when Trump’s lawyers said Stephanopoulos “knowingly or recklessly made multiple false and disparaging statements regarding Plaintiff during ABC broadcasts.”
During a broadcast earlier this year, Stephanopoulos mentioned the word “rape” 10 times during an on-air interview with South Carolina GOP Rep. Nancy Mace in March that a jury found Trump had “raped” E. Jean Carroll.
In 2023, a jury found that Trump sexually abused Carroll, holding him liable for battery, though it did not find that Carroll proved he raped her. The jury awarded Carroll $5 million for battery and defamation.
Trump has consistently denied Carroll’s claims.
