Let's dive into the latest courtroom drama involving former President Donald Trump and ABC News. A Florida judge has given the green light for Trump's defamation lawsuit against ABC and its anchor George Stephanopoulos to proceed. This all began when Stephanopoulos made some controversial comments back in March, incorrectly stating that Trump had been found "liable for rape" in a civil case.
So, what’s the deal here? Well, Judge Cecilia Altonaga of the United States District Court in Miami ruled that a jury could reasonably find Trump's claims of defamation valid, making dismissal of the case inappropriate at this stage.
Trump celebrated this development on Truth Social, calling it a "BIG WIN TODAY IN HIGH FLORIDA COURT AGAINST ABC FAKE NEWS, AND LIDDLE’ GEORGE SLOPADOPOLUS." He also declared it a great day for America, predicting that this case could lead to the media being forced to "start telling the truth."
Let's rewind to how this all started. In a heated exchange on his show "This Week" with Rep. Nancy Mace, Stephanopoulos repeatedly claimed that Trump was found liable for rape, referencing the legal victory of Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll. However, this wasn't entirely accurate.
A jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse, not rape, which has a different legal definition under New York law. Despite this distinction, Stephanopoulos mentioned the term "rape" numerous times during his discussion with Mace.
In May, during an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Stephanopoulos defended his comments, stating, "Trump sued me because I used the word ‘rape,’ even though a judge said that’s in fact what did happen." This stance hasn't changed as the lawsuit continues to unfold.
Meanwhile, Trump has been making waves on social media with his views on the upcoming presidential debates. He recently suggested scrapping an ABC-hosted debate, given that President Joe Biden has exited the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump floated the idea of Fox News hosting the debate instead.
His post read, "My debate with Crooked Joe Biden...was slated to be broadcast on Fake News ABC...Now that Joe has, not surprisingly, has quit the race, I think the Debate...should be held on FoxNews, rather than very biased ABC."
Fox News wasted no time, sending formal letters to both the Trump and Harris campaigns proposing their own debate in Pennsylvania on September 17. They even suggested that their top political hosts, Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, moderate the event. Fox News Media's President Jay Wallace and Vice President of Politics Jessica Loker emphasized the importance of this debate given the changes in the race and the onset of early voting in key battleground states.