President Donald Trump threatened to sue ABC News – yet again – after the news station critiqued the $400 million jumbo jet gifted to him by Qatar’s royal family.
“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,” the president complained on his Truth Social platform.
Trump claimed he had previously given the “SleazeBags” at the news station warnings – and would continue to do so.
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
Trump continued: “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,” he wrote.
Trump’s decision to accept the Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from Qatar’s royal family has drawn swift backlash. Reports have revealed that it would require expensive upgrades that will take several years to complete.
Even still, Trump has claimed only a “stupid person” would decline a proposed upgrade on Air Force One, even though the cost of retrofitting the plane to make it an appropriate substitute for the existing presidential transport could make it cost as much as $1bn.
Trump and the Disney-owned news station have also previously sparred. In December, ABC News agreed to pay Trump $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit over comments made by star anchor Stephanopoulos that Trump was found “liable for rape” in the E. Jean Carroll case.
A jury found Trump was liable for sexual abuse of Carroll, but his actions didn’t meet New York’s stringent legal definition of rape.
