The fake news brigade is at it again, wailing like banshees about how President Trump’s lawsuits against their precious media empires are some kind of existential threat to the First Amendment. You’ve got has-beens like Brian Stelter leading the charge, clutching their pearls and screaming that these legal smackdowns are an “assault on freedom of the press.” Give me a break. This isn’t an assault—it’s a long-overdue reckoning for a bunch of elitist hacks who’ve spent years twisting words, editing clips, and peddling outright lies to push their agenda. From a real America First viewpoint, Trump’s not attacking the press; he’s forcing them to play by the rules they pretend to uphold. Let’s dive deep into this nonsense and expose it for the crybaby con job it is.
The Settlement Spree: Media Moguls Pay Up
President Trump isn’t just talking tough—he’s delivering haymakers in court, and the results are piling up like empty promises from the left. Back in March 2025, ABC’s parent company coughed up a cool $15 million as a “donation” to the future Trump presidential library to settle a defamation suit. That stemmed from George Stephanopoulos running his mouth on air, falsely claiming Trump was found liable for rape in that E. Jean Carroll circus. ABC blinked first, paid up, and even issued a regretful note about their sloppy reporting. No trial, no drama—just Trump walking away with a win.
Then came CBS in July 2025, shelling out $16 million to make a lawsuit vanish over their deceptive editing of a Kamala Harris interview on “60 Minutes.” You remember that one: They chopped up her word-salad responses to make her sound coherent, hiding the disaster from voters right before the election. Trump called them out for election interference, sued under Florida’s deceptive trade practices law, and boom—settlement city. Paramount Global, CBS’s overlords, paid the piper without a fight, proving once again that when you hit these networks where it hurts, they fold faster than a cheap lawn chair.
And that’s not all. Trump settled with the Pulitzer Prize board in 2024 over their bogus awards for Russia hoax reporting by The New York Times and The Washington Post. He dragged them through the mud until they admitted their “independent review” found no issues—but still, they settled to avoid the headache. He’s got ongoing suits against The Wall Street Journal for smearing him on election integrity, The Des Moines Register for a rigged Iowa poll that undersold his support by a mile, and more. The pattern? Media lies, Trump sues, media pays or squirms. It’s beautiful.
The BBC Blunder: Editing Gone Wild
Now we get to the latest fireworks: Trump’s $10 billion bombshell against the BBC, filed on December 15, 2025, in Florida federal court. The British broadcasters thought they could get away with “doctoring” his January 6, 2021, speech in a documentary streamed on BritBox. They spliced clips together, cutting out key parts where Trump called for peace and patriotism, making it look like he incited the whole mess. Trump’s suit nails them for defamation and violating Florida’s unfair trade practices law, demanding at least $5 billion in damages—potentially doubling to $10 billion if punitive hits stick.
The BBC already apologized last month, calling it an “error of judgment,” but that didn’t stop Trump from going full throttle. Why Florida? Because the doc aired there via streaming, and Trump’s not letting foreign meddlers off the hook. This isn’t some petty grudge; it’s about correcting a narrative that’s poisoned politics for years. The BBC’s edit wasn’t a mistake—it was malicious, designed to paint Trump as the villain in their anti-American fairy tale. And now they’re learning the hard way: Mess with the bull, get the horns.
Stelter’s Sob Story: Whining About “Assaults” While Ignoring the Lies
Enter Brian Stelter and his chorus of media martyrs, bleating that Trump’s legal barrage is a dire threat to press freedom. Stelter, the former CNN talking head who’s now reduced to newsletters and guest spots, has been pounding this drum nonstop. He claims these suits are straight out of an authoritarian playbook, designed to intimidate journalists and chill reporting. “Trump is never going to stop attacking the press,” Stelter moaned in a recent piece, painting the president as a bully who’s turning the White House into a war room against the Fourth Estate.
Others pile on, echoing the same tired line: Lawsuits like these create a “chilling effect,” making outlets think twice before “holding power to account.” They invoke Hungary’s Viktor Orban or some other bogeyman, warning that settlements with ABC and CBS set a “dangerous precedent” where networks cave to avoid costly fights. Boo hoo. What they’re really afraid of is accountability. For decades, these so-called journalists have operated like untouchable gods, smearing conservatives with impunity while hiding behind “press freedom” as a shield for their bias.
But let’s call it what it is: Hypocrisy on steroids. Press freedom doesn’t mean freedom to fabricate. The First Amendment protects robust debate, not deceptive edits or outright defamation. Trump’s not suing over tough questions or unfavorable coverage—he’s targeting provable lies and manipulations that cross legal lines. Stelter and his ilk conveniently forget that when media giants settle, it’s because their lawyers know they’ve got weak cases. If the reporting was solid, they’d fight and win. Instead, they pay up, proving Trump’s point.
Why This Isn’t an Assault—It’s a Wake-Up Call
From an America First lens, this “assault” narrative is laughable. Trump’s lawsuits aren’t about silencing dissent; they’re about restoring trust in a media landscape that’s been hijacked by partisans. Poll after poll shows Americans—especially on the right—have zero faith in the press. A Gallup survey from October 2024 pegged trust in mass media at a rock-bottom 32 percent, with Republicans clocking in at just 12 percent approval. No wonder: Years of Russia collusion hoaxes, COVID fearmongering, and election meddling have eroded credibility to dust.
Trump’s approach flips the script. By winning settlements, he’s not just padding his library fund—he’s sending a message that fake news has consequences. This empowers everyday folks who’ve been slimed by the press to fight back, too. It’s pro-freedom, not anti. If Stelter really cared about journalism, he’d call out the deceivers in his ranks instead of defending them. But nah, it’s easier to play victim and pretend Trump’s the bad guy.
In the end, this deep dive reveals the truth: Trump’s media suits are a triumph for accountability in an era of elite arrogance. The whiners like Stelter can cry all they want, but the American people are done with the lies. Time for the press to clean up their act—or keep writing those checks.