Did trump sue abc and nbc

1. The ABC suit: what Trump sued over and how it began

Trump sued ABC News and George Stephanopoulos in March 2024, alleging defamation over comments Stephanopoulos made during a March 10 interview that repeated characterizations of Trump as having been “found liable for rape” in litigation involving E. Jean Carroll — a line of questioning that Trump’s lawyers said harmed his reputation ^{[1] [6] [7]}. Reporting explains the interview context: Stephanopoulos was pressing Rep. Nancy Mace about her support for Trump and cited jury findings from Carroll’s civil litigation ^{[6] [8]}.

2. The legal landscape and the hurdles for public-figure defamation claims

Legal experts cited in the coverage noted the high bar for public officials to prevail in defamation suits, and Trump historically has lost media defamation suits against outlets such as CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times ^{[1] [7]}. Several outlets underline that defamation claims by prominent public figures face heavy First Amendment and falsity/bad-faith thresholds, which shaped coverage of both the filing and reactions to ABC’s eventual decision to settle ^{[1] [9]}.

3. The settlement with ABC: terms and fallout

In mid-December 2024 ABC agreed to settle and to transfer $15 million to a presidential foundation or museum for Trump, plus $1 million toward his legal fees, and to post an editor’s note expressing regret for Stephanopoulos’s statements; the settlement dismissed the lawsuit ^{[2] [3] [10]}. Reporting framed the outcome as an unusually favorable result for Trump given his prior losses in media litigation ^{[10] [9]}.

4. Why ABC settled: newsroom and corporate calculations

Analysts and media outlets offered competing takes: some saw the settlement as evidence that Trump’s litigation can chill newsrooms or intimidate outlets into avoiding court; others — including legal analysts — argued ABC had legitimate legal reasons to settle to avoid lengthy litigation and distraction amid corporate priorities ^{[4] [9]}. Politico and Poynter coverage detailed the specific on-air statements that triggered the suit and noted corporate risk calculations around costly, uncertain trials ^{[9] [8]}.

5. Did Trump sue NBC? Short answer and related actions

Available reporting in the provided results does not show a defamation lawsuit by Trump specifically against NBC News analogous to the ABC suit; NBC News did, however, cover and report on the ABC settlement and Trump’s broader threats to take legal action against other outlets ^{[11] [5]}. Separately, Trump did sue CBS/Paramount over a “60 Minutes” interview and other outlets have been named in his legal threats, showing a pattern of multiple legal engagements with media companies ^{[4] [5]}.

6. Broader pattern and political context: threats, settlements, and strategy

Coverage indicates this ABC settlement fits into a wider pattern: Trump has repeatedly used litigation and threats against news organizations — sometimes unsuccessfully, sometimes resulting in settlements — and has publicly stated intentions to bring more suits, including against polls and smaller outlets ^{[5] [4] [9]}. Some commentators see strategic motives (deterring coverage; leveraging settlements during corporate transactions), while others emphasize constitutional and evidentiary limits on defamation claims by public officials ^{[9] [1]}.

7. What reporting does not claim or resolve

Available sources do not claim Trump brought a direct, equivalent defamation suit against NBC News tied to the ABC matter; they also do not provide a comprehensive list of every media-related legal threat or filing since December 2024 — coverage highlights several high-profile suits and threats but leaves open ongoing or future litigation beyond what’s documented ^{[5] [4]}. If you want, I can pull only the stories that list every media company Trump has sued or threatened and map dates and claim types from the supplied sources.

Sources cited: CBS News (March 21, 2024) ^[1]; Reuters (March 19, 2024) ^[6]; The New York Times (March 18, 2024; Dec. 2024 reporting) ^{[7] [10]}; BBC and AP (Dec. 15–16, 2024 reporting) ^{[2] [3]}; NBC News (Dec. 17, 2024) ^[11]; CNN, The Hill, Politico and Poynter analyses ^{[5] [4] [9] [8]}.