<p>ABC News removed a report on October 8, 2026, that discussed the business dealings of President Donald Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, following legal threats. The network has not provided an explanation for the deletion of the article, which was published the previous day.</p><p>The now-deleted report, which can still be accessed via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, was titled "Trump sons' investments have won billions in Pentagon contracts since his election." It stated that Anduril, a company involved in a new Baltimore shipyard project, had connections to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.</p><p>According to the deleted article, "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," as reported by ABC News.</p><p>The report also noted that Anduril had been awarded 135 contracts with the U.S. government, totaling approximately $1.8 billion, according to active defense contracts posted on SAM.gov, the official government contracting site. The article claimed that the Trump brothers were among the largest investors in Anduril.</p><p>Alexa Henning, a spokesperson for 1789 Capital, criticized the ABC News report on social media, stating that the company does not hold a "major stake" in Anduril and described the article as biased. Henning clarified that the funds raised by 1789 Capital were conflated with investments in Anduril, which she argued misrepresented the situation.</p><p>After the article's removal, ABC News's link to the original report now states, "This page either does not exist or is currently unavailable." The network has not responded to requests for comment and has not issued a correction or explanation regarding the report's removal.</p><p>ABC News also deleted a promotional post on social media that had shared the article, which was circulated by several prominent Democrats.</p><p>Henning expressed her appreciation for the article's removal but emphasized the need for ABC News to clarify why it was published initially and to acknowledge any errors made in the reporting.</p><p>Trump Jr. also commented on the deletion, responding to California Governor Gavin Newsom, who had shared the original report, stating, "ABC deleted this article in less than 24 hours because it’s false. Sounds about as long as your presidential campaign would last."</p>
Why this rating? · 8 signals
Signals flagged in the original
- loaded language: 'hit piece'
- loaded language: 'failed to provide any explanation'
- loaded language: 'vanished'
- loaded language: 'blasting'
- framing: The headline labels the deleted ABC report a "hit piece" before establishing that characterization.
- framing: The article foregrounds denials and insults from 1789 Capital’s spokesperson while presenting the ABC report as false or improperly motivated.
- framing: It emphasizes ABC’s lack of an immediate response and deletion, but gives no substantive account from ABC beyond noting that it did not respond.
- editorializing: ABC News deleted a report criticizing the business dealings ... after facing legal threats but has failed to provide any explanation or editor’s note for the vanished "hit piece."
Analyzed by our bias model Full breakdown ↓
ABC News Removes Report on Trump Sons' Investments Amid Legal Threats
ABC News deleted a report on October 8, 2026, that criticized the business dealings of Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump following legal threats. The article claimed that the Trump brothers had significant investments in Anduril, a company awarded multiple Pentagon contracts. The network has not provided an explanation for the report's removal or issued a correction.
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Language Analysis
Loaded Language Removed
- ✕ loaded language: 'hit piece'
- ✕ loaded language: 'failed to provide any explanation'
- ✕ loaded language: 'vanished'
- ✕ loaded language: 'blasting'
- ✕ framing: The headline labels the deleted ABC report a "hit piece" before establishing that characterization.
- ✕ framing: The article foregrounds denials and insults from 1789 Capital’s spokesperson while presenting the ABC report as false or improperly motivated.
- ✕ framing: It emphasizes ABC’s lack of an immediate response and deletion, but gives no substantive account from ABC beyond noting that it did not respond.
- ✕ editorializing: ABC News deleted a report criticizing the business dealings ... after facing legal threats but has failed to provide any explanation or editor’s note for the vanished "hit piece."
Original vs. Neutral
ABC News deletes ‘hit piece’ on Trump sons' Pentagon-linked investments without explanation
ABC News Removes Report on Trump Sons' Investments Amid Legal Threats