President-elect Donald Trump and ABC News host George Stephanopoulos will sit next week in Trump's defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster and his network, a judge ruled Friday.
Trump is suing ABC News Stephanopoulos was charged with defamation after the host incorrectly said several times that Trump was “responsible for rape” during an interview last March on “This Week” with Rep. Nancy Mace, R.S.C.
Lawyers representing ABC and Stephanopoulos, who also hosts Good Morning America, argued in a virtual hearing on Friday that Trump should be available to testify in person next week, before the Dec. 24 deadline for accusers to file. To seek summary judgment to avoid trial.
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during the Buckeye Values PAC rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on March 16, 2024. (Camille Krzyczynski/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump did He has made himself available for recorded testimony so far, but the judge said the game has changed now that the election is over. NBC News reported.
US District Judge Lizette Reed ordered Trump to testify in person the week of December 16. Although Trump had previously had a “fairly good argument” that he was too busy to do so during the session, she said. He added: “He is now in a completely different position and should be able to make himself available.”
Nathan Siegel, the attorney representing ABC News, claimed he was willing to make the deposition as convenient as possible for Trump, so much so that he would fly to his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, and limit the deposition to four people. Hours, and perhaps do such a sit-in on Saturday.
The judge ruled that Stephanopoulos will be allowed to give his testimony remotely.
Trump sues ABC NEWS and George Stephanopoulos for defamation
George Stephanopoulos has been a frequent critic of Trump. (ABC/Paola Lobo via Getty Images)
The president-elect's lawyer, Alejandro Brito, said that even if the election is over, the nature of Trump's position makes such a meeting a difficult endeavor.
“I will do everything in my power to make the president available,” Brito said. “But there are limits to my ability to do that. I have to factor the Secret Service into the equation.”
He “assured the court that he would immediately work with Trump's staff to determine his availability next week,” NBC reported.
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Fox News Digital I reached out to representatives for Trump and Stephanopoulos, and neither immediately responded for comment.
Stephanopoulos' comments were made during a tense exchange with Mays on March 10. After playing a clip of Mace discussing being a rape victim, Stephanopoulos asked her: “How do you reconcile your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?”
“You endorsed Donald Trump for president. Judges and two separate juries found him liable for rape and defamation of the victim of that rape,” Stephanopoulos said, referring to the legal victory won by Trump's accuser E. Jean Carroll.
George Stephanopoulos questioned Rep. Nancy Mace's endorsement of Donald Trump as a rape victim during an interview that is now the focus of a defamation lawsuit against the ABC anchor. (Left: (Photo by Jose Perez/Power-Griffin/GC Images), Right: (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images))
Stephanopoulos repeated this claim ten times during his dispute with Mace, despite the fact that a jury had already decided that Trump was liable for “sexual assault,” which has a clear definition under New York law.
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ABC has stood by Stephanopoulos since the interview. The lawsuit against the ABC recently saw its start date for a jury trial pushed back from April 2025 to June 2025 after both sides requested an extension.
Fox News Digital's Brian Flood contributed to this report.
