ABC News quietly republishes gutted version of story on Trump sons it had deleted without explanation
ABC News quietly republishes gutted version of story on Trump sons it had deleted without explanation
ABC News quietly republished a watered-down version of a previously deleted report scrutinizing the business dealings of President Donald Trump's oldest sons, and Eric Trump, on Friday evening. The original report, published earlier in the week, was removed following criticism of its accuracy.
The original report, which remains accessible through the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, was published Wednesday afternoon under the headline, "Trump sons' investments have won billions in Pentagon contracts since his election." ABC News removed the report less than 24 hours later without a public explanation at the time.
However, the revised report reappeared on ABC News' website Friday with an editor's note, factual corrections and a new headline: "New shipyard announced amid earlier Democratic concerns about potential conflicts of interest."
The article's byline was also changed to "ABC News."
The editor's note acknowledged errors involving descriptions of company investments, government contracts and the chronology of events.
ABC News' decision to remove the report without an immediate public explanation drew criticism from media industry figures.
ABC News' revisions followed public criticism from 1789 Capital spokesperson Alexa Henning, who disputed the original report's description of the firm's investments. Henning said "1789 Capital does not have a 'major stake' in Anduril" and challenged the article's characterization of the Trump brothers' involvement in other companies.
"Here's a small lesson, that I also explained to ABC, the reporter who is a complete idiot conflated raising funds with investment by 1789. Those are two separate actions," Henning wrote.
1789 Capital is the venture firm in which Trump Jr. serves as a partner.
The initial report incorrectly attributed a $2.5 billion investment in Anduril to 1789 Capital. The revised article clarified that the figure represented the total funding Anduril raised last year.
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"1789 Capital — a venture capital firm that lists Donald Trump Jr. as one of six partners along with three founders — claimed a major stake in Anduril in June 2025 from a $2.5 billion investment into the company," ABC News reported in the deleted story.
The revised article also states that Trump Jr. does not sit on the three-person committee responsible for investment decisions, according to a spokesperson for 1789 Capital.
The updated story states that 1789 Capital previously invested $50 million in defense contractor Anduril, which ABC valued at approximately $60 billion.
The initial removal drew the attention of Trump Jr., who took to X to mock California Gov. Gavin Newsom after the story was taken down.
"ABC deleted this article in less than 24 hours because its false. Sounds about as long as your presidential campaign would last," he wrote on X.
Bill Ackman, founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, criticized ABC News on social media for removing the article without issuing a public correction at the time.
"This is bad. @ABC must take responsibility for their failed journalism. Basic journalistic ethics requires it," Ackman
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