In a recent interview, ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos argued that it was irresponsible for the media to broadcast a live interview with former President Trump.
The anchor and former adviser to President Clinton spoke with Mediaite editor-in-chief Aidan McLaughlin on the inaugural episode of the outlet's “Press Club” podcast, which aired Saturday. The two journalists spoke about covering this year's presidential election and how the media should approach reporting on the former president.
“I think it's journalistic misconduct to interview President Trump live on television,” Stephanopoulos told McLaughlin during the remote interview.
Following Trump's sentencing, Dr. Phil denounced the weaponization of the justice system: “We need to put an end to this madness.”
In a recent podcast interview, ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos argued that it would be irresponsible for networks and journalists to broadcast live interviews with Trump because of the way Trump distorts the truth. (Left: Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Right: (Photo by Jose Pérez/Bauer Griffin/GC Images)
The Mediaite host addressed the topic, noting how difficult Trump is to deal with, saying, “I've long felt that Trump's superpower is his shamelessness.”
“That's amazing,” the ABC man chimed in.
McLaughlin continued: “And you see it when he stands on a town hall or a debate stage, or when he's in an interview with a reporter and he says, 'Two and two equals five,' and he gets fact-checked and we just carry on. Or when there's a controversy and he doesn't apologize, like every other politician in political history has apologized.”
Stephanopoulos went on to say that arguing with Trump in the upcoming presidential debates “is going to be difficult,” before alleging “foul play.”
Other networks are also implementing the ABC News anchor's point of view. MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow explained her show's decision to decline to air Trump's Iowa primary victory speech in January. At the time, she told viewers: “As a news organization, there's a cost to us when we knowingly broadcast factual inaccuracies. That's our job, that's who we are. So what he says tonight won't be broadcast live here. We'll be monitoring it and we'll let you know when he says something news.”
McLoughlin asked the ABC News anchor what he thought about the network that hosted the debate turning off Trump's microphone midway through the debate.
“I think it helps a little bit,” Stephanopoulos said. “I don't know exactly how the microphones work, but I think these conditions help a little bit. But it's still very complicated.”
His own network, ABC, will host the second debate, while CNN will host the first.
The anchor also said one of Trump's “techniques” in debates and interviews is “simply keep changing the topic.”
“I think that's always a risk and a challenge for any interviewer, but the same thing will happen in a debate,” he added.
“I personally don't think we can pretend that refusing to accept the results of the 2020 election is on par with any other issue,” he said. “This is the most fundamental issue. Can it be brought up in the right context in a debate?”
Legal experts say ABC must defend George Stephanopoulos if Trump sues for defamation
ABC's George Stephanopoulos during an episode of ABC News' “This Week.” (Screenshot/ABC/ThisWeek)
Stephanopoulos commented in April about how this election will be unusual because of the various charges against President Trump, and warned that the race cannot be treated as normal because of the threats to democracy.
“The fundamental principles of our democracy are being tested in ways we haven't seen since the Civil War. This is a test for candidates, for members of the media and for all of us,” he told ABC News' “This Week,” adding elsewhere that “the scale of this anomaly is simply staggering.”
Stephanopoulos is being sued for defamation by Trump after he said the former president had been “found responsible for rape” during a conversation with Rep. Nancy Mace in March.
A federal jury in New York ruled in the 2023 civil trial of columnist E. Jean Carroll v. Trump that Trump was not liable for rape but was liable for sexual abuse and defamation.
Stephanopoulos, who later filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, told CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert in May that he was “not going to walk away from my job because of threats.”
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Gabriel Hayes is deputy editor for Fox News Digital.